HISTORY  OF  NATIONS. 


THE  J  A  I' FA   GAI'I-.   J  liRl'SALILM 


THE 


HISTORY   OF   THE  JEWS, 


FROM    THE    EARLIEST    PERIOD    TO    THE 

PRESENT    TIME.  * 


BY  REV.  H.  H.  MILMAN, 

IBBBENDARY    OF    ST.    PETER's,   AND    MINISTER   OF    ST.   MARSA 

REf'S,    WESTMINSTER;   AUTHOR    OF    "THE    HISTORT    OF 

CHRISTIANITY,"   &C 


8I?(ti)  if^aps  anU  Hngrabings. 

IN     THREE     VOLUMES. 

VOL.  II. 


THE  BRADLEY    COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YOBE 


CONTEJTTS. 


BOOK  IX 

THB   BIOH   PRIESTS. 

rhe  Captivity— The  Return  to  the  Holy  Land— Rebuilding  cf  the  TtB*- 
pie— The  Samaritans— Esther— Ezra— Nehemlah— Simon  the  ivA 
— Alexandrian  Jews. 

Persecution  under  Anliochus  Ep-phanes PM*  * 

BOOK  X- 

TBB  ASMONEAMS. 

Matiathlas— Judas  the  Maccabee— Jonathan— Simon— John  HyreanM 
— Arlstobulua  I.— Alexander  Jannseus— Alexandra—Arisiobulus  IL 
— Hyrcanuall * 

BOOK  XL 

^  BGROD. 

Accession— Battle  of  Actium— Death  of  Mariamne— Magnificence  «f 
Herod— Sebaste  built— Rebuilding  of  the  Temple— Caesarea—Sonf 
of  Mariamne— Death  of  Antipater— Death  of  Herod 8S 

BOOK  xn. 

THE   HERODIAN   FAMILT 

Archelaus— Roman  Governors— Pontius  Pilate— Herod  A  ntipas— Philip 
—Accession  of  Caligula— Agrippa—Persecutionfl  In  Alexandria— 
Philo— Babylonian  Jews— Agrippa  King 108 

BOOK  XIIL 

THE   ROMAN   GOVERNORS. 

Cugplus  Fadus— Tiberius  Alexander— Ventidius  Cumanus— Felix— 
Porcius  Festus— Albinus- Gesslus  FIoru§— Coiiimencenient  of  the 
Revolt— ThP  Zealots'— Manahem—Mas;-nrre  of  the  Jews  in  the  Pro- 
vinces—Advance  and  Dffeat  of  Cestius  Gallu* IM 


If  «:!ONTENTI» 

BOOK  XIV. 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   THB   WAR. 

Vespasian — Jfwephus — Affairs  of  Galilee — John  of  Gischa.* — Affiirg 
of  Jerusalem — Ananus  tlie  Chief  Priest — Simon,  Son  of  Giora.s 
Baitlfs'  near  Ascalon •  209 

BOOK  XV. 

THE    WAR. 

Vespasian — Sioge  of  Jotapata—Fall  of  Japha— Mount  Gerizim— Cap 
ture  of  Jotapat.i — Josephus — Surrender  of  Tiberias — Fall  of  Tanchea 
—Massacre— Siege  of  Ganiala— Fall  of  Itabyriuiii — Taking  of  Ga 
■lala— of  Ciscbala — Flight  of  John — Feuds  in  Jerusalem iSt 


HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 


BOOK  IX 

THE    HIGH-PRIESTS. 


l%e  Capacity— The  Return  to  the  Holy  Land— Rebuilding  of  tU 
Temple — The  Samarttans  F.-slher—Kira — JVeheniiah — Simnn  (Ae 
fust — Alexandrian  Jew*     f'ersecution  under  Antioehua  Epipkanei 


B.  C.  584. 


Nothing  could  present  a  more  striking  contrast  to 
their  native  country  than  the  region  into  which  the 
Hebrews  were  transplanted.  Instead  of  their  irre- 
gular and  picturesque  mountain  city,  crowning  its 
unequal  heights,  and  looking  down  into  its  deep 
and  precipitous  ravines,  through  one  of  which  a 
scanty  stream  wound  along ;  they  entered  the  vast, 
square,  and  level  city  of  Babylon,  occupying  both 
sides  of  the  broad  Euphrates;  while  all  around 
spread  immense  plains,  which  were  intersected  by 
long  straight  canals,  bordered  by  rows  of  willows. 
How  unlike  their  national  temple — a  small  but 
highly  finished  and  richly  adorned  fabric,  standing 
m  the  midst  of  its  courts  on  the  brow  of  a  lofty 
precipice — the  colossal  temple  oi  lue  Chaldean  Bel, 
rising  from  the  plain  with  its  eight  stupendous 
stories  or  towers,  one  above  the  other,  to  the  per- 
pendicular height  of  a  furlong !  The  palace  of  the 
Babylonian  kings  was  more  than  twice  the  size  of 
their  whole  city :  it  covered  eight  miles,  with  its 
hanging  gardens  built  on  arched   terraces,  each 


6 


HISTORY  OF    THE    JEWS 


rising  above  tlie  other,  and  rich  in  all  the  luxuriance 
of  artificial  cultivation.  How  different  from  the 
sunny  cliffs  of  their  own  land,  where  the  olive  anc 
the  vine  grew  spontaneously,  and  tho  coo],  shady 
and  secluded  valleys,  where  they  could  always  find 
shelter  from  the  heat  of  the  burninir  noon !  No 
wonder  then  that  in  the  pathetic  words  of  their 
own  hymn,  by  the  waters  of  Babylon  they  sat  down 
and  wept,  when  they  remembered  thee,  O  Sion.  Of 
their  general  treatment  as  captives  we  know  little. 
The  psalm  above  quoted  seems  to  intimate  that  the 
Babylonians  had  taste  enough  to  appreciate  their 
poetical  and  musical  talent,  and  that  they  were  sum- 
moned occasionally  to  amuse  the  banquets  of  their 
masters,  though  it  was  much  against  their  will  that 
they  sung  the  songs  of  Zion  in  a  strange  land.  In 
general  it  seems  that  the  Jewish  exiles  were  allowed 
to  dwell  together  in  considerable  bodies,  not  sold  as 
household  or  personal  slaves,  at  least  not  those  of 
the  better  order,  of  whom  the  captivity  chiefly  con- 
sisted. They  were  colonists  rather  than  captives, 
and  became  by  degress  possessed  of  considerable 
property.  There  was  one  large  settlement  on  the 
river  Chebar,  considerably  to  the  north  of  Babylon. 
It  was  there  that  the  prophet  Ezekiel  related  hik 
splendid  visions,  which  seemed  impressed  with  the 
immense  and  gigantic  character  of  the  region  and 
empire  of  Babylon.  To  the  bold  and  rapid  creations 
of  the  earliei  Hebrew  poets,  Ezekiel  adds  not  merely 
a  vehement  and  tragical  force,  peculiar  to  his  owii 
mind,  but  a  vastness  and  magnificence  of  imagery, 
drawn  from  the  scenery  and  circumstances  by  which 
he  was  surrounded.  The  world  of  Ezekiel,  and 
that  of  his  cotemporary,  Daniel,  seems  enlarged: 
the  future  teems  with  imperial  dynasties  and  wide 
and  universal  monarchies.  It  is  curious  that  the 
earliest  monuments  of  Persian  antiquity,  in  Per- 
sepolis  and  its  neighbourhood,  abound  with  sculp- 
tures representing  those  symbolic  and  composite 


DANIEL.  7 

animals,  which  occur  so  frequently  in  the  visions 
of  these  two  prophets,  especially  Daniel.  Daniel 
had  been  among  those  noble  youths  transported  to 
Babvlon  at  the  first  invasion  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
most  likely  as  hostages  for  the  good  conduct  and 
submission  of  the  vassal  king.  These  young  men 
were  treated  with  great  kindness,  educated  with  the 
utmost  care,  both  in  the  manners  and  duties  of  the 
great  officers  of  the  Assyrian  court ;  and  in  all  the 
half-scientific,  half-superstitious  knowledge,  the  as- 
tronomy, the  divination,  and  skill  in  the  interpreta- 
tion of  dreams,  for  which  the  priesthood  of  the 
Chaldeans  long  maintained  unrivalled  celebrity. 
Daniel  received  the  name  of  Belteshazzar ;  his  chiei 
companions,  Hananiah,  JMishael  and  Azariah,  those 
of  Shadrach,  Meshech,  and  Abednego. 

If  the  eminence  to  w'hich  Daniel  attained  in  the 
favour  of  successive  moaarchs,  inspired  the  captive 
Jews  with  confidence  that  divine  Providence  still 
watched  over  the  chosen  people,  his  example  contri- 
buted no  less  to  confirm  them  in  their  adherence  to 
the  law  and  the  religion  of  their  ancestors.  These 
youthful  hostages  were  to  be  sumptuously  main- 
tained at  the  public  charge ;  but  Daniel  and  his  com- 
panions, apprehensive  of  legal  defilement,  insisted  on 
being  supported  on  the  meanest  and  simplest  food, 
common  pulse.  On  this  coarse  and  ascetic  diet, 
perhaps  that  of  the  Hebrew  prophets,  they  throve, 
and  became  so  well  favoured  as  to  do  no  discredit 
to  the  royal  entertainment.  When  Nebuchadnezzar 
raised  his  golden  image  on  the  plain  of  Dura,  which 
all  men  were  to  worship,  the  companions  of  Daniel, 
resisting  the  act  of  idolatry,  were  thrown  into  the 
fiery  furnace,  from  whence  they  were  miraculously 
delivered.  Under  a  later  monarch,  who  forebade 
any  prayer  to  be  offered,  for  thirty  days,  but  to 
himself,  Daniel,  with  the  same  boldness,  refusing 
to  suspend  his  petitions  to  the  Almighty,  was  cast 
into  thp  den  of  lions  whose  mouths  were  closed 


n  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS. 

ag'ainst  the  man  of  God.  But  it  was  chiefly  like 
his  predecessor  Joseyih,  as  interpreter  of  dream*, 
that  Daniel  acquired  his  higli  dislmction.  Twice 
he  was  summoned  to  this  important  office  by 
Nebuchadnezzar;  once  when  the  unconscionable 
demand  was  made  of  the  national  interpreters,  tliat 
they  should  expound  a  vision  of  which  they  did 
not  know  the  substance :  once  Avhen  the  haughty 
monarch  was  warned  of  a  dreadful  malady  (some 
kind  of  madness),  by  which  his  pride  was  to  be 
humbled,  when  he  should  be  expelled  from  human 
society,  and  eat  grass  like  a  beast  of  the  field.  On 
both  occasions  the  Hebrew  interpreter  was  equally 
successful.  In  the  same  manner  he  was  called 
upon  to  expound  the  fatal  handwriting  on  the  wall 
of  Belshazzar,  on  that  memorable  night  when  the 
human  hand,  during  the  sumptuous  banquet,  wrote 
upon  the  wall  the  mysterious  words,  MENE. 
MENE.  TEKEL.  UPHARSIN,  interpreted  by  Da- 
niel that  the  kingdom  was  numbered  and  finished — 
Belshazzar  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  want- 
ing— his  kingdom  taken  away,  and  g'iven  to  the, 
Medes  and  Persians. 

Like  Joseph,  Daniel  became  one  of  the  viziers  or 
satraps  of  the  mighty  empire,  when  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Medes  and  Persians.  Nor  was 
this  rapid  advancement  of  their  countrymen — though 
the  manner  in  which  Daniel  is  frequently  named  by 
nis  cotemporary  Ezekiel,  shows  the  pride  and  reve- 
rence with  which  the  whole  nation  looked  up  to 
their  distinguished  compatriot — the  onlj'  ground  of 
hope  and  consolation  to  the  scattered  exiles.  Be- 
yond the  gloomy  waste  of  the  captivity,  their  pro- 
phets had  always  opened  a  vista  of  long  ages  of 
more  than  their  former  happiness  and  glory  ;  but  to 
which,  their  restoration  to  their  own  ru;h  and  plea- 
sant land  was  the  first  and  preparatory  promise. 
Jeremiah  had  limited  the  duration  of  the  captivity 
tp  seventy  years :  he  had  evinced  his  confidenci? 


TAKING    OF    BABYLON  9 

In  the  certainty  of  his  own  predictions  by  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  examples  of  teaching  by  sig- 
nificant action,  so  common  among  the  Hebrew  pro- 
phets. In  the  time  of  the  greatest  peril  he  had  pur- 
chased an  estate  at  Anatlioth,  and  concealed  the 
title-deeds  with  the  greatest  care,  in  order  that  they 
might  come  to  light,  for  the  benefit  of  his  posterity, 
after  the  restoration  of  the  Hebrew  polity ;  in  which 
event  he  thus  showed  his  own  implicit  reliance. 
When  therefore  they  saw  the  storm  bursting  upon 
the  haughty  and  oppressive  Babylon — when  the  vast 
plains  of  Shinaar  glittered  with  the  hosts  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians ;  and  Cyrus,  the  designated  de 
liverer,  appeared  at  their  head ;  amid  the  wild  tumults 
of  the  war,  and  the  shrieks  and  lamentations  of  the 
captured  city,  the  Jews,  no  doubt,  were  chanting, 
at  least  murmuring  in  secret,  the  prophetic  strains 
of  Isaiah  or  Jeremiah,  which  described  the  fall  of 
the  son  of  the  morning,  the  virgin  daughter  of  Baby- 
lon sitting  in  the  dust,  the  ceasing  of  the  oppressor, 
the  ruin  of  the  golden  city. 

It  is  not  necessary  in  relating  this  part  of  the 
Jewish  history,  to  plunge  into  the  intricate  and  in- 
extricable labyrinth  of  Assyrian  history  and  chrono- 
logy. It  is  unimportant  whether  we  suppose,  with 
Prideaux  and  most  of  the  earlier  writers,  that  the 
fatal  night  which  terminated  the  life  of  Belshazzar, 
witnessed  the  fall  of  Babylon,  and  that  Darius  the 
Mede  was  Cyaxares,  the  uncle  of  Cyrus  :  or,  with 
Larcher,  and  others,  that  Belshazzar  was  over- 
thrown, and  put  to  death,  by  a  conspiracy  within  the 
city,  headed  by  Darius,  a  man  of  Median  extrac- 
tion ;  and  that  from  this  Darius  opens  a  new  dynasty 
of  Babylonian  kings,  which  ended  in  the  Persian 
conquest  by  Cyrus. 

At  all  events,  the  close  of  the  seventy  years'  cap- 
tivity found  Cyrus  the  undisputed  monarch  of  all 
the  territories,  or  rather  of  a  more  extensive  and 
powerful  empire,  than  that  of  Assyria  ;  and  Daniel 
II.— ii 


lO  HISTORY   OF   THF  JEWS 

appears  as  high  in  the  confidence  of  this  wise  and 
powerful  monarch,  as  he  had  been  in  that  of  his 
predecessor  Darius.  For  Darius  knew  too  well  the 
value  of  his  wise  and  useful  minister  not  to  rejoice 
at  his  [  rovidential  deliverj'^  from  the  den  of  lions; 
where,  through  the  intrigues  of  his  enemies,  and  the 
unalterable  nature  of  the  Median  law,  he  had  with 
reluctance  condemned  him.  His  providential  deli- 
verance had  invested  Daniel  in  new  dignity,  and  he 
reassumed  his  station  among  the  pashas,  or  rather 
as  the  supreme  head  of  the  pashas,  to  whom  the 
provinces  of  the  vast  Persian  empire  were  com- 
mitted. Josephus  attributes  to  Daniel,  besides  his 
religious  and  political  wisdom,  great  skill  in  archi- 
tecture, and  ascribes  to  him  the  building  of  the  great 
Mausoleum  at  Ecbatana,  or  according  to  Jerom,  at 
Susa,  where  the  kings  of  Persia,  and  even  the  later 
Parthian  kings,  were  interred. 

The  national  spirit  was  not  extinguished  in  the 
heart  of  Daniel  by  all  these  honours ;  no  doubt 
through  his  influence,  Cyrus  issued  out  the  welcome 
edict  commanding  the  restoration  of  the  exiled 
Hebrews  to  their  native  land ;  perhaps  the  framing 
of  the  edict,  in  which  the  unity  of  the  Godhead 
was  recognised,  may  be  referred  to  the  Jewish 
minister,  though  it  is  by  no  means  improbable  that, 
at  this  period,  the  Persians  were  pure  Theists. 

The  numbers  which  assembled  under  Zerubbabel, 
(Shesh-bazzar,)  the  descendant  of  their  kings,  the 
grandson  of  Jeconiah;  and  Jeshua,  the  hereditary 
high  priest,  were  42,360:  four  out  of  the  twenty-four 
courses  of  priests  joined  the  returning  exiles.  The 
joyful  caravan  set  forth,  bearing  the  remaining  sacred 
vessels  of  the  temple  which  Cyrus  had  restored. 
The  rest  of  their  equipage  is  characteristically  de- 
scribed as  comprising  servants  and  maids,  singing 
men  and  mnging  women,  horses,  iimles,  camels,  and 
asses.  On  tlieir  arrival  in  their  native  land,  they 
Were  probably  joined  by  (jreat  numbers  of  the  com- 


B.C.  535. J        ItETURN  UNDER  ZERUBBABEXi.  ll 

mon  people.    These,  in  some  degree,  made  up  for 
the  loss  of  those  recreants,  who  did  not  choose  to 
abandon  their  dwelling's  and  possessions  in  Baby- 
lonia.    Tlie  first  object  was  to  restore  the  w-orship 
of  God ;  the  altar  was  set  up,  the  feasts  re-establish- 
ed, and  the  first  stone  of  tlie  new  temple  laid  among 
the  joyful  acclamations  of  the  multitude,  but  the 
tears  of  the  ancient  men  that  had  seen  the  Jirst  house, 
who,  when  the  foundation  of  this  house  was  laid  before 
their  eyes,  wept  with  a  loud  voice.     For  how  different 
was  the  condition  of  the  Hebrew  people,  from  that 
splendid  period,  when  their  king's  ruled  without  rival 
from   the   Euphrates   to  the  Mediterranean.     The 
ports  of  the  Red  Sea  did  not  now  pour  the  treasures 
of  India  and  Africa  into  their  dominions ;  the  great 
caravans  passed  far  beyond  their  borders.    The  mer- 
cantile Tyrians  were,  a«  before,  glad  to  exchange 
their  timbers  and  stone  and  artisans  for  the  com, 
wine,  and  oil  of  Palestine ;  but  still  the  chan{?[e  from 
-the   magnificent   intercourse   between   Hira.n   and 
Solomon,  was  abasing  to  the  pride  of  Judaea.     The 
61,000  drams  of  gold,  contributed  by  the  heads  of 
the  captivity,  are  supposed  to  be  Darics,  which  Pri- 
deaux  calculates  at  something  more  than  an  English 
guinea ;  these  with  5000  pounds  of  silver,  though  a 
liberal  sum  in  their  present  state,  might  raise  a  me- 
lancholy remembrance  of  the  incalculable  treasures 
which  sheeted  the  former  temple  with  gold.     Nor 
would  the  royal  order  for  assistance,  contained  in 
tlie  edict  of  Cyrus,  in  any  degree  replace  the  un- 
bounded treasures  accumulated  by  David  and  his 
son.     The  religious  Jews  deplored  the  still  more 
important  deficiencies  of  the  new  temple.    The  Ark 
Jhe  prophetic  Uiim  and  Thunmiim,  the  Shechinah 
or  divine  presence,  the  celestial  fire  on  the  altar,  and 
the  spirit  of  prophecy,  though  the  last  gift  stiU  lin- 
gered on  the  lips  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  till  it 
expired  at  a  later  period  on  those  of  Malachi.     The 
temple  was  built,  probably,  on  the  old  foundations. 


1<?  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  53lj 

but  unexpected  difficulties  impeded  its  progress. 
The  people  called  the  Sam;>ritaiis  made  overtures 
to  assist  ill  the  great  aalional  worlc ;  their  proposal 
was  peremptorily  and  contemptuously  rejected. 

While  the  Hebrew  writers  unanimouslj'^  represent 
the  Samaritans  as  the  descendants  of  the  Cuthajau 
colonists  introduced  by  Esarhaddon,  a  foreign  and 
idolatrous  race,  their  own  traditions  derive  their 
regular  lineage  from  Ephraim  and  Manasseli,  the 
eons  of  Joseph.  The  remarkable  fact,  that  this 
people  have  preserved  the  book  of  the  Mosaic  law 
in  the  ruder  and  more  ancient  character,  while  the 
Jews,  after  the  return  from  Babylonia,  universally 
adopted  the  more  elegant  Chaldean  form  of  letters, 
strongly  confirms  tlie  opinion,  that,  although  by  no 
means  pure  and  unmingled,  the  Hebrew  blood  still 
predominated  in  their  race.  In  many  other  respects, 
regard  for  the  sabbath  and  even  of  the  sabbatic  year, 
and  the  payment  of  tithes  to  their  priests,  the  Sama- 
ritans did  not  fall  below  their  Jewish  rivals  in  attach- 
ment to  the  Mosaic  polity.  The  later  events  in  the 
history  of  the  kings  of  Jerusalem,  show  that  the 
expatriation  of  the  ten  tribes,  was  by  no  means  com- 
plete and  permanent ;  is  it  then  an  unreasonable  sup- 
position that  the  foreign  colonists  were  lost  in  the 
remnant  of  the  Israelitish  people  1  and  though,  per- 
haps slowly  and  imperfectly  weaned  from  their  native 
superstitions,  fell  Ijy  degrees  into  the  habits  and  be- 
lief of  their  adopted  country.  Their  proposition  of 
uniting  in  common  worsliip  with  the  Jews,  which 
there  seems  no  reason  to  suspect  of  insincerity ;  as 
at  the  same  time,  according  to  the  account  in  Ezra,  ' 
they  seem  to  have  acknowledged  their  impure  de- 
scent, clearly  evinces  the  prevalence  of  Israelitish 
feelings  and  opinions,  over  those  of  strangers  and 
aliens  from  the  blood  of  Abraham  and  the  Mosaic 
constitution.  It  is  remarkable  that  when  the  Sama- 
ritans are  first  named,  they  are  called  the  adversaries 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin ;  an  expression  which  seems 


NATIONAL  CHARACTER.  13 

io  intimate  some  remains  of  the  hostility  toward* 
the  rival  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  the  hated  race  of 
Ephraim ;  against  whom  they  were  glad  to  have  the 
additional  charge  of  the  contamination  of  their  blood 
by  foreign  admixture.  But  whether  or  not  it  was 
l)ut  the  peqietuation  of  the  ancient  feud  between 
thr  two  rival  kingdoms;  from  this  period  the  hostility 
of  the  Jews  and  Samaritans  assumed  its  character 
of  fierce  and  implacable  animosity.  No  two  nations 
ever  hated  each  other  with  more  unmitigated  bitter- 
ness. With  a  .Tew,  every  Samaritan  was  a  Cuthaean ; 
and  a  Cuthaean  was  a  term  expressive  of  the  utmost 
scorn  and  detestation.  Every  thing  a  Samaritan  ate 
or  drank,  or  even  touched,  was  as  swine's  flesh ;  no 
Samaritan  might  be  made  a  proselyte ;  no  Samaritan 
could  possibly  attain  to  everlasting  life. 

The  jealous  and  exclusive  spirit,  which  induced 
the  Jews  to  suspect,  or  at  all  events  to  repel  the 
advances  of  their  neighbours,  if  not  their  kindred, 
iS  scarcely  reconcileable  with  the  mild  and  liberal 
rules  of  conduct  towards  the  stranger  resident  in 
the  land  (from  which  the  proscribed  race  of  Canaan 
were  alone  exempted),  contained  in  the  Mosaic  law, 
as  well  as  in  the  prayer  of  Solomon  on  the  dedica- 
tion of  his  first  temple.  Yet  this  was  but  one  indi- 
cation of  that  singular  alteration  in  the  national 
character  of  the  Jews,  which  displayed  itself  after 
their  return  from  the  captivity.  Prone  before,  on 
every  occasion,  to  adopt  the  idolatrous  practices  of 
the  adjacent  nations,  they  now  secluded  themselves 
from  the  rest  of  the  world  in  proud  assurance  of 
their  own  religious  superiority.  The  law,  which 
of  old  was  perpetually  violated,  or  almost  forgotten, 
was  now  enforced  by  general  consent  to  its  extreme 
point  or  even  beyond  it.  Adversity  endeared  that, 
of  which  in  prosperity  they  had  not  perceived  tlie 
value.  Their  city,  their  native  soil,  their  religion 
became  the  objects  of  the  most  passionate  attach- 
ment.    Intermarriages  with  foreigners,  neither  fop. 


t4 


JltSTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 


bidden  by  the  statute,  nor  by  former  practice,  were 
Btrictly  inhibited.  The  observance  of  the  sabbath, 
and  even  of  the  sabbatical  year,  was  enforced  Avith 
rigour,  of  which  we  have  no  precedent  in  the  earlier 
annals;  even  to  the  neglect  of  defence  in  time 
jf  war.  In  short,  from  this  period  commences  that 
ansocial  spirit,  that  hatred  towards  mankind,  and 
Want  of  humanity  to  all  but  their  own  kindred,  with 
which,  notwithstanding  the  extent  to  which  they 
carried  proselytism  to  their  religion,  the  Jews  are 
branded  by  all  the  Roman  writers.  Their  opinions 
underwent  a  change  no  less  important ;  the  hope  of 
a  Messiah,  which  had  before  prevailed  but  vaguely 
and  indistinctly,  had  been  enlarged  and  arrayed  in 
the  most  splendid  images  by  Isaiah,  previous  to  the 
fall  of  the  city;  it  was  propagated,  and  even  the 
time  of  his  appearance  declared,  by  the  prophets  of 
the  exiles,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel ;  it  sunk  deep  into  the 
popular  mind,  and  contributed,  no  doubt,  to  knit  the 
undissoluble  tie  of  brotherhood,  by  which  the 
Hebrew  people  were  held  together  more  closely. 
National  pride  and  patriotism  appropriated  not 
merely  the  lofty  privilege  of  being  the  ancestors  of 
the  great  deliverer,  but  all  the  advantages  and  glory, 
which  were  to  attend  his  coming.  In  whatever  form 
or  character  they  expected  him  to  appear,  king,  con- 
queror, or  even  God,  in  this  the  Jewish  race  agreed, 
that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  the  king,  the  conqueror, 
the  God  of  Israel. 

From  this  period  likewise,  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  the  belief  in  another  life,  appear  more  dis- 
tinctly in  the  popular  creed,  from  which  they  were 
never  perhaps  entirely  effaced,  but  rested  only  on 
vague  tradition,  and  were  obscured  by  the  more 
immediate  hopes  and  apprehensions  of  temporal 
rewards  and  punishments,  revealed  in  the  law.  But 
in  the  writings  of  tlie  Babylonian  prophets,  in  the 
rision  of  dry  bones  in  Ezekiel,  and  the  last  chapter 
of  Daniel,  these  doctrines  assume  a  more  important 


6.  O.   626. J      SECOND  TEMPLE  BUILT.  16 

place ;  and  from  the  later  books,  which  are  usually 
called  the  A{  ocrypha,  these  opinions  appear  to  have 
entered  fully  into  the  greneral  belief.  They  formed, 
as  is  well  known,  the  distinction  between  the  Pha- 
risaic sect,  the  great  body  of  the  people ;  and  the 
Sadducees,  the  higher  order  of  freethinkers.  In 
other  respects,  particularly  in  their  notions  of  angels, 
who  now  appear  under  particular  names,  and  form- 
ing a  sort  of  hierarchy,  Jewish  opinions  acquired  a 
new  and  peculiar  colouring  from  their  intercourse 
with  the  Babylonians. 

The  Samaritan  influence  at  the  court  of  Persia, 
prevented  the  advancement  of  the  building,  during 
the  rest  of  the  reign  of  Cyrus ;  as  well  as  that  of 
Cambyses,  and  Smerdis  the  Magian,  up  to  the  second 
year  of  Darius  Hystaspes.  Josephus  places  with 
apparent  probability,  under  the  reign  of  Cambyses, 
sE  formal  representation  made  by  the  heads  of  the 
Samaritans,  of  the  danger  which  would  arise  from 
permitting  "  the  bad  and  rebellious  city  to  be  re- 
built." The  views  of  Cambyses  on  Egypt,  would 
give  weight  to  this  remonstrance ;  as,  at  this  junc- 
ture, it  was  manifestly  dangerous  to  permit  a  strong 
and  mutinous  city,  to  be  built  directly  on  the  road 
of  communication  between  his  line  of  military  ope- 
ration, and  his  native  dominions. 

On  the  accession  of  Darius  Hystaspes,  the  pro- 
phets Haggai  and  Zechariah,  strongly  urged  on 
Zerubbabel,  the  Chieftain  of  the  people,  to  renew 
tlie  work.  The  Persian  pashas  of  the  province, 
Tatnai,  and  Shethar-boznai,  sent  to  the  sovereign 
for  instructions.  Darius  commanded  the  archives 
to  be  searched,  in  which  the  original  edict  of  Cyrus 
was  found.  Darius,  who,  in  all  respects  pursued 
the  policy  of  the  great  founder  of  the  monarchy, 
reissued,  and  confirmed  the  decree.  Under  the  pro. 
tcetion  of  the  Persian  governors,  the  Jews  pressed 
forward  the  work,  and  in  the  sixth  year  of  Darius, 
the  second  temple,  built  on  tfei"  «»ld  foundations,  but 


16  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [ft.C.  483. 

of  far  le^s  costly  and  splendid  materials,  was  finally 
completed.  The  dimensions  seem  to  have  been  the 
game  with  that  of  Solomon,  except  perhaps  the  height 
of  the  interior,  whi(;h  was  greater,  and  the  wanfof 
the  lofty  porch  or  tower.  The  feast  of  dedication 
was  celebrated  with  all  the  joy  and  magnificence, 
which  anempoverished  and  dependant  people  could 
display ;  but  what  a  falling-off  in  the  national  sacri- 
fice of  100  bullocks,  200  rams,  400  lambs,  and  12 
goats,  for  a  sin  offering,  from  the  countless  hecatombs 
of  Solomon. 

The  treasures  of  the  national  poetry  alone  were 
not  exhausted :  the  hymns  composed  for  the  second 
dedication — probably  the  five  last  psalms  in  the 
collection,  though  they  by  no  means  equalled — ap- 
proached far  nearer  to  the  vigour  and  dignity  of  the 
earlier  hymns,  than  either  the  temple  itself  to  its 
prototjrpe,  or  the  number  and  value  of  the  sacrifices. 
The  Jews  enjoyed  another  kind  of  satisfaction ;  their 
Samaritan  adversaries  were  not  merely  frustrated  in 
their  opposition  to  the  building  of  the  temple,  but 
obliged,  by  an  imperial  edict,  to  contribute  to  its 
completion. 

To  the  Jews  the  rest  of  the  long  reign  of  Darius 
Hystaspes  passed  away  in  uneventful  prosperity :  to 
that  of  his  successor,  Xerxes,  we  assign,  with  some 
of  the  most  learned  German  writers,  the  remarkable 
history  of  Esther.  The  Ahasuerus  of  Scripture 
cannot  be  Darius  Hystaspes ;  nor  do  we  trace  the 
character  of  the  mild  and  humane  Artaxerxes  Lon- 
gimanus  in  the  capricious  despot,  who  repudiates 
his  wife  because  she  will  not  expose  herself  to  the 
public  gaze  in  a  dninken  festival ;  raises  a  favourite 
vizier  to  the  highest  honours  one  day,  and  hangs  him 
the  next ;  commands  the  massacre  of  a  whole  peo- 
ple, and  then  allows  them,  in  self-defence,  to  com- 
mit a  horrible  carnage  among  his  other  subjects. 
Yet  all  this  weak  and  headstrong  violence  agrees 
«x!r'^v  with  the  character  of  that  Xerxes  who 


B.C.  479. J  ESTHER.  !7 

commanded  tlie  sta  to  be  scourg-ed,  because  it 
broke  down  hi?;  bri^lgp  nvrv  the  Tlollespont;  !"•- 
headed  the  engineers,  because  iheir  work  was  swept 
away  by  a  storm ;  waiitonlv,  and  before  the  ryfs 
of  the  father,  pni  tw  death  tlie  sons  of  his  ultiest 
friend  Pythias,  who  had  contributed  most  spkmdidly 
to  his  armament ;  sliamefully  misused  the  body 
of  the  brave  Leonidas;  ar.d  -after  his  defeat,  Uke 
another  Sardanapahis,  gave  hims(df  up  to  sm-h 
vohiptuousness,  as  to  issue  an  edict,  offering  a  re- 
ward to  the  inventor  of  a  new  pleasure.  The  syn- 
chronisms, remarked  by  Eicldiorn,  strongly  confirm 
this  view.  In  the  third  year  of  his  reign,  Ahasuerus 
summons  a  divan  of  all  the  great  officers  of  the  king- 
dom at  Susa,  whom  he  entertains  and  banquets  180 
days.  In  his  third  year,  Xerxes,  at  a  arreat  assem- 
^  bly,  deliberates  and  takes  measiu-es  for  tlie  subjuga- 
tion of  Greece.  In  his  seventh  year,  (B.C.  4T9,) 
Ahasuerus  marries  Esther.  In  liis  seventh  year 
Xerxes  returns,  discomlltcd,  to  Susa,  and  abandons 
himself  to  the  pleasures  of  his  harem.  The  imbe- 
cile facility  with  which  Xerxes,  according  to  He- 
rodotus, first  gave  up  to  his  seductive  mistress, 
Aitaynta,  a  splendid  robe,  tlie  present  of  his  queen  ; 
and  then,  having  made  a  rash  promise  at  a  banquet, 
yielded  up  the  wife  of  liis  brother  Masistes,  (tile 
mother  of  his  mistress,)  to  the  barbarous  vengeance 
of  his  queen  ;  so  precisely  resembles  the  conduct  of 
Ahasuerus,  that  it  is  impossible  not  to  suspect  we 
are  reading  of  the  same  person  in  the  Grecian  and 
Hebrew  annalist.  The  snnilaritv  rf  the  nasnes 
Amestris,  wife  of  Xerxes,  and  Esther,  is  likewise 
observable;  and  though  Esther,  at  first,  appears  in 
an  amiable  light,  by  the  account  of  her  own  coun- 
trymen ;  yet  the  barbarous  execution  of  the  ten  sons 
of  Haman  diminishes  the  improbability,  that,  through 
jealousy,  and  the  corrupting  influence  of  her  station 
in  the  court  of  Xerxes,  she  might  in  later  life  have 
become  as  revengeful  and  sanguinary  as  the  Anaes 


18  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS.         [b.C.  479. 

tris  of  Herodotus.  But  wlioever  was  the  Ahasue- 
riis  (tl.e  great  !;!;.?).  ilurin.T  his  r>iorn  the  Jewish 
nation  was  in  danger  of  total  extermination.  At 
the  gniat  imperial  banquet,  wliere  all  the  splendour 
of  the  kingdom  was  displayed,  the  sovereign  com- 
manded the  presence  of  his  queen,  Vashti.  With  a 
better  sense  of  her  own  dignity,  the  queen  refused 
to  attend.  The  weak  monarch  was  not  merely  irri- 
tated during  his  state  of  intox.cation ;  but  after  he 
had  returned  to  his  sober  reason,  instead  of  honour- 
ing her  higher  sense  of  decency,  retained  his  anger 
at  the  disobedience  of  his  queen,  degraded  Vashti 
from  her  royal  station,  and  sent  out  an  edict,  ludi- 
crous enough  to  modern  ears,  which  enacted  the 
implicit  submission  of  all  the  females  in  the  mo- 
narchy to  the  will  of  their  husbands.  After  this  a 
general  levy  of  beautiful  damsels  was  made,  to  sup- 
ply the  seraglio  of  the  king,  out  of  whom  he  was  to 
select  his  queen.  Hadassah,  or  Esther,  the  cousin- 
german  of  Mordecai,  a  distinguished  Jew,  who  had 
brought  her  up  from  her  childhood,  had  tlie  fortune 
*.o  please  the  king ;  she  was  put  in  possession  of  the 
royal  apartments,  and  at  a  great  festival  proclaimed 
the  Queen  of  Persia,  her  birth  still  remaining  a 
secret.  Among  the  rival  candidates  for  the  royal 
favour  were  Mordecai  and  Haman,  said  to  be  de- 
scended  from  the  ancient  Amalekitish  kings.  Mor 
decai  had  the  good  fortune  to  detect  a  conspiracy 
against  the  life  of  the  king,  but  Haman  soon  out- 
stripped all  competitors  in  the  race  of  alvaneemeiU, 
Perhaps  the  great  destruction  in  the  families  of  the 
Persian  nobility,  particularly  of  the  seven  great 
hereditary  counsellors  of  the  kingdom,  during  the 
Grecian  war,  may  account,  if  any  cause  is  wanting 
besides  the  c.iprice  of  a  despot,  for  the  elevation  of 
a  stranger  to  the  rank  of  first  vizier.  Mordecai 
alone,  his  rival,  (for  this  supposition  renders  the 
whole  history  more  probable,)  refused  to  pay  the  ac- 
customed honours  to  the  new  favourite.     Haman, 


B.C.  479.]  ESTHER.  If 

most  likely  secretly  informed  of  his  connexion  with 
the  queen,  and  fearing-,  therefore,  to  attack  Mordecai 
openly,  determined  to  take  his  revenge  on  the  whole 
J  wish  people.     He  represented  them  to  the  king  as 
a  dangerous  and  turbulent  race ;  and  promised  to 
obtain  immense  wealth,  10,000  talents  of  silver,  no 
doubt  from  the  confiscation  of  their  property,  to  the 
royal  treasury,  which  was  exhausted  by  the  king's 
pleasures,  and  by  the  Grecian  war.     On  these  re- 
presentations he  obtained  an  edict  for  the  general 
massacre  of  the  Hebrew  people  throughout  all  the 
provinces  of  the  empire,  of  which  Judaea  was  one. 
The  Jews  were  in  the  deepest  dismay  ;  those  in 
Susa  looked  to  Mordecai  as  their  only  hope,  and  he 
to  Esther.     The  influence  of  the  queen  might  pre- 
vail, if   she  could  once   obtain   an  opportunity  of 
softening  the  heart  of  Ahasuerus.     But  it  was  death, 
even  for  the  queen,  to  intrude  upon  the  royal  pre- 
sence unsummoned,  unless  the  king  should  extend 
his   golden   sceptre   in    sign    of   pardon.       Esther 
trembled  to  undertake  the  cause  of  her  kindred; 
but,  as  of  Jewish  blood,  she  herself  was  involved  in 
the  general  condemnation.     Having  propitiated  her 
God  by  a  fast  of  three  days,  she  appeared,  radiant 
m   her  beauty,  before   the   royal   presence.     The 
golden   sceptre  was   extended    towards   her;    not 
merely  her  life,  but  whatever  gift  she  should  de- 
mand, was  conceded  by  the   captivated  monarch 
The  cautious  Esther  merely  invited  the  king,  and 
Haman  his  minister,  to  a  banquet.     Haman  fell  into 
the  snare ;  and,  delighted  with  this  supposed  mark 
of  favour  from  the  queen,  supposed  all  impediments 
to  the  gratification  of  his  vengeance   entirely  re- 
moved, and  gave  orders  that  a  lofty  gallows  should 
be   erected    for  the   execution  of  Mordecai.     The 
kin'j,  ill  the  nieantim'^,  during  a  sleapless  night,  had 
coiuin:iiided   the  chronicles  of  the  kingdom  to  be 
read  belbre  him.     The  book  happened  to  open  at  the 
relation  of  the  valuable,  but  unrequited  service  of 


20  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.         [B  C    479. 

Mordecai,  in  saving  the  king's  life  from  a  nonspi- 
racy  within  his  own  palace.  The  next  morning 
Ahasuerus  demanded  from  the  obsequious  minister, 
'*  in  what  manner  he  might  most  exalt  the  man  whom 
he  delighted  to  honour  ?"  The  vizier,  appropriating 
to  himself  this  signal  mark  of  favour,  advised  that 
this  highly-distinguished  individual  should  be  ar- 
rayed in  royal  robes,  set  on  the  king's  horse,  with 
the  royal  crown  on  his  head,  and  thus  led  by  one  ol 
the  greatest  men  through  the  whole  city,  and  pro 
claimed  to  the  people,  as  the  man  whom  the  king 
delighted  to  honour.  To  his  astonishment  and  dis- 
may, Haman  is  himself  commanded  to  conduct,  in 
this  triumphant  array,  his  hated  rival  Mordecai.  In 
terror  he  consults  his  wife,  and  the  wise  men  as  to 
his  future  course ;  he  is  interrupted  by  a  summons 
to  the  banquet  of  Esther.  Here,  as  usual,  the  king, 
enraptured  with  his  entertainment,  offers  his  queen 
whatever  boon  she  may  desire,  even  to  half  of  his 
kingdom.  Her  request  is  the  deliverance  of  her 
people  from  the  fatal  sentence.  The  detection  and 
the  condemnation  of  the  minister  was  the  inevitable 
consequence.  Haman,  endeavouring  to  entreat 
mercy,  throws  himself  upon  her  couch.  The  jea- 
lous monarch  either  supposing,  or  pretending  to  sup- 
pose, that  he  is  making  an  attempt  on  the  person  of 
the  queen,  commands  his  instant  execution ;  and 
Haman,  by  this  summary  sentence,  is  hanged  on 
the  gallows  which  had  been  raised  for  Mordecai, 
while  the  Jew  is  ra'sed  to  the  vacant  vizieralty. 
Still,  however,  the  dreadful  edict  was  abroad :  mes- 
sengers were  despatched  on  all  sides  throughout 
the  r(  aim,  which  extended  from  India  to  Ethiopia, 
on  horseback,  on  mules,  on  camels,  and  on  drome- 
daries, permitting  the  Jews  to  stand  on  the  defen- 
sive. In  Susa  they  slew  800  of  their  adversaries; 
73,000  in  the  provinces.  The  act  of  vengeance  was 
completed  by  the  execution  of  Haman's  ten  sons, 
who,  at  the  petition  of  Esther,  suffered  the  fate  of 


B.C    458.]  ESTHER.  2i 

their  father.  So  great  was  the  confusion  and  the 
terror,  caused  liy  tlic  dejjiv^e  <■.'"  roya!  favour  whirh 
Mordecai  enjoyed,  thit  the  whole  nation  became  ob- 
jects of  respect,  and  many  of  other  extraction  em- 
braced their  religion.  The  memory  of  this  signal 
t^eliverance  has  been,  and  still  is,  celebrated  by  the 
Jews.  The  festival  is  called  that  of  Purim,  because 
on  that  day  Haman  cast  (Pur)  the  lot  to  destroy 
them.  It  is  preceded  by  a  strict  fast  on  the  13th  of 
llie  month  Adar  (Februaiy  and  March) ;  the  14th 
and  15th  are  given  up  to  the  most  universal  and  un- 
bounded rejoicing.  The  Book  of  Esther  is  read  in 
the  Synagogue,  where  all  ages  and  sexes  are  bound 
to  be  preserit ;  and  whenever  the  name  of  Haman 
occurs,  the  whole  congregation  clap  their  hands, 
and  stamp  M'ith  their  feet,  and  answer,  "Let  his 
memory  perish." 

The  reign  of  Artaxerxes,  the  successor  of  Xerxes 
on  the  Persian  throne,  was  favourable  to  the  Jews. 
In  the  seventh  year  a  new  migration  took  place  from 
Babylonia,  headed  by  Ezra,  a  man  of  priestly 
descent.  He  was  invested  with  full  powers  to  make 
a  collection  among  the  Jews  of  Babylonia  for  the 
adornment  of  the  national  temple,  and  to  establish 
magistrates  and  judges  in  every  part  of  Judaea. 
Many  of  the  priesthood  of  the  higher,  and  of  the 
inferior  orders,  joined  themselves  to  his  party — 
singers,  porters,  and  Nethinims.  They  arrived  in 
safety,  though  without  any  protection  from  the  royal 
troops,  in  Jerusalem,  and  were  received  with  great 
respect  both  by  the  Jews  and  the  Persian  governors. 
The  national  spirit  of  Ezra  was  deeply  grieved  to 
find  that,  by  contracting  marriages  with  the  adjacent 
tribes,  not  merely  the  commonalty,  but  the  chief- 
tains and  the  priests  themselves  had  contaminated 
the  pure  descent  of  the  IsraelitisK  race.  By  his  in- 
fluence these  marriages  were  generally  cancelled, 
and  the  foreign  wives  repudiat'^i.  StilJ  the  city  of 
Jtrusalem  was  open  and  defenceless :  the  jealous 


22  HISTORY  OI  THE  JEWS  [b.C.  449 

policy  of  the  Persian  kings  would  not  permit  the 
Jews  to  fortify  a  luiutaiy  post  of  such  importance 
as  their  capital. 

On  a  sudden,  however,  in  the  twentieth  year  of 
Artaxerxes,  Neliemiah,  a  man  of  Jewish  descent, 
cup-bearer  to  the  king,  received  a  commission  to 
rebuild  the  city  with  all  possible  expedition.  The 
cause  of  this  change  in  the  Persian  politics  is  to  be 
sought,  not  so  much  in  the  personal  influence  of  the 
Jewish  cup-bearer,  as  in  the  foreign  history  of  the 
times.  The  power  of  Persia  had  received  a  fatal 
blow  in  the  victory  obtained  at  Cnidus  by  Conon, 
the  Athenian  admiral.  The  great  king  was  obliged 
to  submit  to  an  humiliating  peace,  among  the  arti- 
cles of  which  were  the  abandonment  of  the  mari- 
time towns,  and  a  stipulation  that  the  Persian  army 
should  not  approach  within  three  days'  journey  of 
the  sea.  Jerusalem  being  about  this  distance  from 
the  coast,  as  standing  so  near  the  line  of  communi- 
cation with  Egypt,  became  a  post  of  the  utnn)st  im- 
portance. The  Persian  court  saw  the  wisdom  of 
intrusting  the  command  of  a  city,  and  the  govern- 
ment of  a  people  always  obstinately  national,  to  an 
officer  of  their  own  race,  yet  on  whose  fidelity  they 
might  have  full  reliance.  The  shock,  which  the 
Persian  authority  had  suffered,  is  still  further  shown 
by  the  stealth  and  secrecy  with  which  Nehemiah, 
though  armed  with  the  imperial  edict,  was  obliged 
to  proceed.  For  the  heads  of  the  neighbouring 
tribes,  the  Samaritans,  Ammonites,  and  Arabians, 
openly  opposed  the  work.  By  night,  and  with  their 
arms  in  their  hands,  the  whole  people  of  every  rank 
and  order  laboured  with  such  assiduity — one  half 
working,  while  the  other  watched,  and  stood  on 
their  defence — that  in  incredibly  short  time,  fifty- 
two  days,  the  enemy,  Sanballat,  Tobiah,  and  Geshern 
the  Arabian,  who  had  at  first  treated  the  attempt 
with  scorn,  saw  the  strong  city  of  Jerusalem,  as  if 
by  enchantment,  girt  with  impregnable  walls  and 


B.C.  440./  NEHEMIAH.  23 

towers,  defyingf  their  assault,  and  threatenino'  to 
bridle  their  independence.  Neheinuih  had  to  c.'i- 
tend  not  only  with  foreign  opposition,  but  domestic 
treachery.  Some  of  the  Jewish  nobles  were  in 
secret  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  particularly 
with  Tobiah  the  Ammonite;  and  the  great  measure 
by  which  the  governor  relieved  the  people  from 
usurious  burdens,  though  popular  no  doubt  among 
the  lower  orders,  by  no  means  conciliated  the  more 
wealthy  to  his  administration.  The  exaction  of  the 
Persian  tribute  pressed  heavily  on  the  mass  of  the 
people :  to  defray  this  charge  the  poor  were  obliged 
to  borrow  of  the  rich,  who,  in  defiance  of  the  Mo- 
saic law,  exacted  enormous  usury.  Nehemiah,  by 
the  example  of  his  own  munificence,  and  by  hia 
authority,  extorted  in  a  public  assembly  a  general 
renunciation  of  these  claims,  and  a  solemn  oath  of 
future  conformity  to  the  law.  In  the  spirit  of  the 
iiiicient  constitution  he  closed  the  sitting  with  this 
imprecation: — he  shook,  his  lap,  and  said,  "So  God 
sh.ike  out  every  man  from  his  house,  and  from  his 
labour,  that  performeth  not  this  promise,  even  thus 
he  ye  shaken  out  and  emptied."  And  all  the  con- 
gregation said  "  Amen !"  and  praised  the  Lord. 

Having  thus  provided  for  the  outward  security  and 
inward  peace  of  the  people,  and  having  solemnly 
dedicated  the  whU,  Nehemiah  left  Hanani  his 
brother,  and  Hananiah,  as  governors  of  Jerusalem, 
strictly  enjoining  them  to  keep  the  gates  closed,  ex- 
cept during  the  day,  and  returned  to  Persia  for  a 
short  time,  to  report  h's  proceedings  and  renew  his 
commission.  On  his  return,  which  speedily  fol- 
lowed, he  took  new  measures  to  secure  the  purity 
of  descent,  now  held  of  such  high  importance 
among  ihe  Jews.  The  genealogies  of  all  the  con- 
gregation were  inquired  into  and  accurately  made 
out ;  the  number  of  genuine  Israelites  taken,  which 
amounted  to  42,360,  with  7337  slaves,  and  244 
■inifers  of  both  sexes.     All  their  st(»ck  amounted 


24  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C  44b 

(only)  to  736  horses,  their  mules  245,  camels  435, 
i:ss3s  1720.  Su'-h  \v:is  the  f;i!leii  state  of  this  onc« 
mighty  and  opulent  nation.  Yet  still  the  contribu- 
tions to  the  temple  were  on  a  scale  comparn lively 
munificent.  Nehemiah  himself,  the  leaders,  and  the 
body  of  the  people,  voluntarily  offered  a  considera- 
ble sum  in  gold,  silver,  utensils  for  the  service,  and 
costly  garments  for  the  priests.  There  seems  to 
have  been  much  unwillingness  in  the  body  of  the 
people  to  inhabit  the  city,  where  probably  the  police 
was  more  strict,  the  military  duties  more  onerous, 
and  in  general  more  restraint,  with  less  freedom  and 
less  profit,  than  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  But 
the  general  security  of  the  country,  and  most  likely 
direct  orders  from  the  court  of  Persia,  required  tliat 
the  capital  should  be  well  manned ;  and  accordingly 
every  tenth  man,  by  lot,  was  constrained  to  enroll 
himself  among  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem. 

In  the  meantime  Ezra,  who  had  been  superseded 
.n  the  civil  administration  by  Nehemiah,  had  applied 
himself  to  his  more  momentous  task — the  compila- 
tion of  the  Sacred  Books  of  the  Jews.  Much  of 
the  Hebrew  literature  was  lost  at  the  time  of  the 
Captivity ;  the  ancient  Book  of  Jasher,  that  of  the 
wars  of  the  Lord,  the  writings  of  Gad  and  Iddo  the 
Prophet,  and  those  of  Solomon  on  Natural  History. 
The  rest,  particularly  the  Law,  of  which,  after  the 
discovery  of  the  original  by  Hilkiah,  many  copies 
were  taken ;  the  historical  books,  the  poetry,  in- 
cluf'ing  all  the  prophetic  writings,  except  those  of 
Malachi,  were  collected,  revised,  and  either  at  that 
time,  or  subsequently,  arranged  in  three  great  divi- 
sions. The  Law,  containing  the  five  Books  of 
Moses  ;  the  Prophets,  the  historical  and  prophetical 
books ;  the  Hagiographa,  called  also  the  Psalms, 
containing  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  the 
Song  of  Solomon.  At  a  later  period,  probably  in 
the  time  f  Simon  the  Just,  the  books  of  Malachi 
Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  Esther  were  added,  and  what 


B.C.  444.]  nehemiaH.  26 

is  called  the  Canon  of  Jewish  Scripture  finally 
closed.  It  is  most  likely  that  from  this  time  the 
Jews  began  to  establish  synagogues,  or  places  of 
public  worship  and  instruction,  for  the  use  of  which 
copies  of  the  sacred  writings  were  multiplied.  The 
law,  thus  revised  and  corrected,  was  publicly  read 
by  Ezra,  the  people  listening  with  the  most  devout 
attention;  the  feast  of  Tabernacles  was  celebrated 
with  considerable  splendour.  After  this  festival  a 
solemn  fast  was  proclaimed  :  the  whole  people, 
having  confessed  and  bewailed  their  offences,  deli- 
berately renewed  the  covenant  with  the  God  of  their 
fathers.  An  oath  was  administered,  that  they  would 
keep  the  law ;  avoid  intermarriages  with  strangers ; 
leither  buy  nor  sell  on  tlie  Sabbath ;  observe  the 
sabbatical  year,  and  remit  all  debts  according  to  the 
law ;  pay  a  tax  of  a  third  of  a  shekel  for  the  service 
of  the  temple  ;  and  offer  ail  first  fruits,  and  all  tithes 
to  the  Levites.  Thus  the  Jewish  constitution  was 
finally  re-established.  In  the  twelfth  year  of  his  ad- 
ministration Nehemiah  returned  to  the  Persian 
court.  But  the  weak  and  unsettled  polity  required 
a  prudent  and  popular  government.  In  his  absence 
affairs  soon  fell  into  disorder.  Notwithstanding  the 
remonstrances  of  Malachi,  the  last  of  the  prophets, 
the  solemn  covenant  was  forgotten ;  and  on  his  re- 
turn, after  a  residence  of  some  time  in  Persia,  Nehe- 
miali  found  the  High  Priest,  Eliashib  himself,  in 
close  alliance  with  the  deadly  enemy  of  the  Jews, 
Tobiah  the  Ammonite,  and  a  chamber  in  the  temple 
assigned  for  tlie  use  of  this  stranger.  A  grandson 
of  the  High  Priest  had  taken  as  his  wife  a  daughter 
of  their  other  adversary,  Sanballat.  Others  of  the 
people  had  married  in  the  adjacent  tribes,  had  for- 
gotten their  native  tongue,  and  spoke  a  mixed  and 
barbarous  jargon ;  the  Sabbath  was  violated  both  by 
the  native  Jews  and  by  the  Tyriau  traders,  who  sold 
their  fish  and  merchandise  at  the  gates  of  Jerusa- 
lem. Armed  with  the  authority  of  a  Persian  satrap. 
Vol.  11.^(3 


t6  HISTOKY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  408 

and  that  of  his  own  munificent  and  concil  atory  cha- 
racter— for  as  g-overnor  he  had  lived  on  a  magnifi- 
cent scale,  and  continually  entertained  150  of  the 
chief  leaders  at  his  own  table — Nehemiah  n  formed 
all  these  disorders.  Among  the  rest  he  expelled 
from  Jerusalem  Manasseh,  the  son  of  Joiada,  (who 
succeeded  Eliashib  in  the  high  priesthood,)  on  ac- 
count of  his  unlawful  marriage  with  the  daughter  of 
Sanballat  the  Horonite.  Sanballat  meditated  signal 
revenge.  He  built  a  rival  temple  on  the  mountain 
of  Gerizim,  and  appointed  Manasseh  High  Priest ; 
and  thus  the  schism  between  the  two  nations,  the 
Jews  and  the  Samaritans,  was  perpetuated  for  ever. 
The  Jews  ascribe  all  the  knowledge  of  the  law 
among  the  Sarniritans,  even  their  possession  of  the 
sacred  books,  to  the  apostacy  of  Manasseh.  The 
rival  temple,  they  assert,  became  the  place  of  refuge 
to  all  the  refractory  and  licentious  Jews,  who  could 
not  endure  the  strict  administration  of  the  law  in 
Judfea.  But  these  are  the  statements  of  bitter  and 
implacable  adversaries,  fairly  to  be  mistrusted  either 
as  untrue,  or  as  exaggerated.  Still,  from  the  build- 
ing of  the  rival  temple,  we  may  date  the  total  sepa- 
ration of  the  two  people,  of  which  Samaria,  how- 
ever, remained  in  comparative  insignificance,  while 
Jerusalem  was  destined  to  a  second  era  of  magnifi- 
cence and  rum. 

During  the  great  period  of  Grecian  splendour  in 
arms,  enterprise,  and  letters,  the  Jews,  in  quiet,  and 
perhaps  enviable  obscurity,  lay  hid  within  their 
native  valleys.  The  tide  of  war  rolled  at  a  distance ; 
wasting  Asia  Minor,  and  occasionally  breaking  on 
the  shores  of  Cyprus  and  Egj^Dt.  The  Grecian 
writers  of  this  period  seem  quite  unaware  of  the 
existence  of  such  a  people ;  they  lay  entirely  out  of 
the  line  of  maritime  adventure  :  Tyre  Jilone,  on  the 
Syrian  coast,  attracted  the  Grecian  merchant.  Nor 
is  there  any  reason  to  suppose  tliat  the  Jews  of 
Palestine,  who  were  now  in  their  lowest  state  both 


B.C.  352.]  ALEXANDKU  ^7 

as  to  numbers  and  opulence,  had  commenced  theii 
mercantile  career.  The  accounts  of  the  intercouise 
of  the  earlier  and  later  Grecian  philosophers,  Pytlia- 
goras  and  Plato,  with  the  Hebrews,  are  manifestly 
fictions  of  the  Alexandrian  Jews,  eagerly  adopted 
and  exagg-erated  by  the  Christian  Fathers.  The 
Greeks  little  apprehended  that  a  few  leagues  inland 
from  the  coast  which  their  fleets  perpetually  passed, 
a  people,  speaking  a  laiigu:ige  which  they  esteemed 
oarbarous,  was  quietly  pursuing  its  rural  occupa- 
tions, and  cultivating  its  luxuriant  soil,  yet  possessed 
treasures  of  poetry  which  would  rival  their  own 
Pindar  and  Simonides,  moral  wisdom  which  might 
put  to  shame  that  of  Plato ;  a  people  who  hereafter 
*vere  to  send  forth  the  great  religious  instructers  of 
the  world.  The  provincial  administration  of  the 
Persian  governors  exercised  only  a  general  super- 
intendence over  the  subject  nations,  and  the  internal 
government  of  Jerusalem  fell  insensibly  into  the 
hands  of  the  High  Priests. 

From  the  administration  of  Nehemiah  to  the  time 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  one  atrocious  crime,  coja- 
mitted  in  the  family  of  the  Higli  Priest,  appears  the 
only  memorable  transaction  in  the  uneventful  annals 
of  JudcEa.  Eliashib  was  succeeded  in  the  High 
priesthood  by  Judas — Judas  by  John.  The  latter, 
jealous  of  the  influence  of  his  brother  Jesus  with 
Bagoses,  the  Persian  governor,  and  suspecting  him 
of  designs  on  the  High  priesthood,  murdered  him 
within  the  precincts  of  the  sanctuary,  Tlie  Persian 
came  in  great  indignation  to  Jenisalem,  and  when 
the  Jews  would  have  prevented  his  entrance  into 
the  temple,  he  exclaimed,  "  Am  not  I  purer  than  the 
dead  body  of  him  whom  ye  have  slain  in  the  temple  1" 
Bagoses  laid  a  heavy  mulct  on  the  whole  people — 
fifty  drachms  for  every  lamb  offered  in  sacrifice. 
At  length  the  peace  of  this  favoured  district  was 
interrupted  by  the  invasion  of  Alexander.  After 
t^ie   demolition  of  Tyre,  the   conqueror  marched 


?8  HISTORY  or  THE  JEWS.  [b.c.  332. 

against  Ga/a,  which  he  totally  destroyed.  Either 
during  the  siccre  of  Tyre,  or  liis  march  against 
Gaza,  the  Jews  no  doubt  made  their  submission. 
On  this  simple  fact  has  been  built  a  romantic  ami 
picturesque  story.  While  Alexander  was  at  .tlie 
siege  of  Tyre,  he  sent  to  demand  the  surrender  of 
Jerusalem.  The  High  Priest  answered  that  he  had 
sworn  fealty  to  Darius,  and  was  bound  to  maintain 
his  allegiance  to  that  monarch.  After  the  taking  ol 
Gaza,  the  conqueror  advanced  against  Jerusalem. 
Juddua,  the  High  Priest,  and  the  people  were  in  the 
greatest  consternation.  But,  in  a  vision,  God  com- 
manded Juddua  to  take  comfort — to  hang  the  city 
with  garlands — throw  open  the  gates — and  go  forth 
to  meet  the  enemy,  clad  in  his  pontifical  robes,  the 
priests  in  their  ceremonial  attire,  the  people  in  white 
garments. — Juddua  obeyed.  The  solemn  procession 
marched  forth  to  Sapha,  an  eminence,  from  whence 
the  whole  city  and  temple  might  be  seen.  No  sooner 
had  Alexander  beheld  the  High  Priest  in  his  hya- 
cinthine  robes,  embroidered  with  gold,  and  with  tlie 
turban  and  its  golden  frontal,  than  he  fell  prostrate 
and  adored  the  Holy  Name,  which  was  there  in- 
scribed in  golden  characters.  His  attendants  were 
lost  in  astonishment.  The  Phcenieians  and  Chal- 
deans had  been  eagerly  watching  the  signal  to  dis- 
perse the  suppliants,  and  pillage  the  city.  The 
Syrian  kings,  who  stood  around,  began  to  doubt  if 
he  were  in  his  senses.  Parmenio  at  length  de- 
manded why  he,  whom  all  the  world  worshipped, 
should  worship  the  High  Priest.  "  1  worship,"  re- 
plied the  monarch,  "  not  the  High  Priest,  bul  his 
God.  In  a  vision  at  Dios  in  Macedonia,  that  figure 
in  that  very  dress  appeared  to  me.  He  exhorted 
me  to  pass  over  into  Asia,  and  achieve  the  conquest 
of  Persia."  Alexander  then  took  the  priest  by  the 
hand  and  entered  the  city.  He  offered  sacrifice; 
and  the  High  Priest  communicated  to  him  the  pro- 
ohecies  of  Daniel,  predicting  that  a  Greek  was  to 


B.C    332.  J  AtEXANDfiH.  2 

overthrow  the  Persian  empire.  Alexander,  de 
lighted  with  his  reception,  offered  to  the  Jews  what 
ever  gift  they  should  desire.  They  requested  th  • 
freedom  of  their  brethren  in  Media  and  Babylonia. 
They  likewise  obtained  an  exemption  from  tribute 
in  the  Sabbatical  year.  The  difficulties  and  ana- 
chronisms of  this  whole  story*  have  been  exposed 
by  INIoyle,  and  Mitford  the  Grecian  historian ;  and 
jnfortuiiately  the  Alexandrian  Jews  were  so  much 
interested  in  inventing  or  embellishing  any  tale 
which  could  honourably  connect  them  with  the  great 
founder  of  that  city,  that  an  account,  which  has 
most  probably  passed  through  their  hands,  must  be 
received  with  great  mistrust.  It  is  added,  that  the 
Samaritans  petitioned  for  the  same  exemption  from 
tribute  in  the  Sabbatical  year.  Alexander  hesitated. 
But  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Samaria,  having,  for 
some  unknown  reason,  risen  against  Andromachus, 
the  Macedonian  commander  in  Samaria,  Alexander 
ordered  the  whole  people  to  be  expelled,  and  planted 
a  Macedonian  colony  in  their  room.  The  Samari- 
tans retreated  to  Shechem,  and  hence  they  are  called, 
in  the  book  of  Ecclesiasticus,  the  foolish  people  that 
dwell  at  Shechem.  The  insurrection  and  expulsion 
of  the  Samaritans  are  mentioned  by  Curtius.  Of 
the  former  history,  the  chroniclers  of  Alexander 
are  silent,  excepting  Justin,  in  a  passage  which  it  is 
fair  to  mention.  That  author  says,  that  in  many  of 
the  Syrian  cities,  the  kings  came  out  to  meet  and 
submit  to  Alexander,  with  sacred  fillets  on  theii 
heads.  Alexander  is  likewise  stated  to  have  trans- 
planted 100,000  Jews  to  his  new  colony  in  Egypt, 
and  bestowed  on  them  equal  privileges  and  immu 
nities  with  the  Macedonians. 

On  the  death  of  Alexander,  Judaea  came  into  the 
possession  of  Laomedon,  one  of  his  generals.     On 

*  For  instance: — the  High  Priest  refnses  hisallcgiance  to  Alexanriti 
though  aware  that  he  is  designated  by  God,  in  the  prophecy  of  Danltl 
u  the  Destroyer  of  the  Persian  Empire. 


30  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEW9.  [b.C.  532- 

his  defeat,  Ptolemy,  the  king  of  Egypt,  attempted 
to  seize  the  whole  of  Syria.  He  advanced  against 
Jerusalem,  assaulted  it  on  the  Sabbath,  and  met 
with  no  resistance,  the  superstitious  Jews  scrupling 
•  to  Anolate  the  holy  day,  even  in  self-defence.  The 
conqueror  carried  away  100,000  captives,  whom  he 
settled  chiefly  in  Alexandria  and  Cyrene.  In  a 
short  time,  following  a  more  humane  policy,  he  en 
deavoured  to  attach  the  Jewish  people  to  his  cause. 
enrolled  an  army  of  30,000  men,  and  intrusted  the 
chief  garrisons  of  the  country  to  their  care.  Syria 
and  Jndiea  did  not  escape  the  dreadful  anarchy  which 
ensued  during  the  destructive  warfare  waged  by  the 
generals  and  successors  of  Alexander.  Twice  these 
provinces  fell  into  the  power  of  Antigonus,  and 
twice  were  regained  by  Ptolemy,  to  whose  share 
they  were  finally  adjudged  after  the  decisive  defeat 
Df  Antigonus  at  Ipsus.  The  maritime  towns.  Tyre, 
Joppa,  and  Gaza,  were  the  chief  points  of  conten- 
tion ;  Jerusalem  itself  seems  to  have  escaped  the 
horrors  of  war.  During  this  dangerous  period 
Onias,the  High  Priest, administered  the  public  affairs 
for  twenty-one  years.  He  was  succeeded,  the  year 
after  the  battle  of  Ipsus,  by  Simon  the  Just,  a  pontiff 
on  whom  Jewish  tradition  dwells  with  peculiar 
attachment.  His  death  was  the  commencement  of 
peril  and  disaster,  announced,  say  the  Rabbins,  by 
the  most  alarming  prodigies.  The  sacrifices,  which 
were  always  favourably  accepted  during  his  life,  at 
his  death  became  uncertain  or  unfavourable.  The 
scape  goat,  which  used  to  be  thrown  from  a  rock, 
and  to  be  dashed  immediately  to  pieces,  escaped  (a 
fearful  omen)  into  the  desert.  The  great  west  light 
of  the  golden  chandelier  no  longer  burnt  with  a 
steady  flame  ;  sometimes  it  was  extinguished.  The 
g<\crificial  fire  languished  ;  the  sacrificial  bread  failed, 
f  )  as  not  to  suffice,  as  formerly,  for  the  whole 
]  'iesthood. 

The  founding  of  the  Syro-Grecian  kin>>-dom  by 


B.C    226.]        JOSEPH,  SON  OP  TOBIAS.  31 

SeLucus,  and  the  establishment  of  Antioch  as  the 
capital,  brought  Jiidfea  into  the  unfortunate  situation 
of  a  weak  province,  placed  between  two  great  con- 
flicting monarchies.  Still  under  the  mild  government 
of  the  (hst  hrre  Ptolemies,  Soter,  Philadelphus,  and 
Euergetes,  both  the  native  and  Alexandrian  Jews 
enjoyed  many  marks  of  the  royal  favour;  and  while 
almost  all  the  rest  of  the  world  was  ravaged  by  war, 
their  country  flourished  in  profound  peace.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  reign  of  Euergetes,  the  prosperity  of 
the  nation  was  endangered  by  the  indolence  and 
misconduct  of  Onias  the  Second,  the  Higii  Priest, 
the  son  of  Simon  the  Just,  who  had  succeeded  his 
uncles,  Eleazar  and  Manasseh,  in  the  supreme  au- 
thority. The  payment  of  the  customary  tribute 
having  been  neglected,  the  Egyptian  king  threatened 
to  invade  the  country,  and  share  it  among  his 
soldiers.  The  High  Priest  being  unable,  or  unwilling, 
to  go  to  Egypt  to  answer  for  his  conduct,  his  nephew 
Joseph  was  despatched  on  this  delicate  mission. 
Joseph  with  difficulty  obtained  money  for  his  journey 
of  some  Samaritans.  He  travelled  to  Egypt  in  a 
caravan  with  some  rich  Ccelesyrians  and  Phoenicians, 
who  were  going  to  Alexandria  to  obtain  the  farming 
of  the  royal  tribute.  He  caught  from  their  conver- 
sation the  sum  they  proposed  to  offer,  and  the  vast 
profit  they  intended  to  make  of  their  bargain.  On 
his  arrival  at  court,  he  made  rapid  progress  in  the 
royal  favour.  When  the  farmers  of  the  revenue 
came  to  make  their  oflTers,  they  bid  8000  talents ; 
Joseph  instantly  offered  double  that  sum.  His  sure- 
ties were  demanded ;  he  boldly  named  the  king  and 
queen.  Struck  with  the  character  of  the  man,  the 
royal  bondsmen  testified  their  assent;  and  Joseph 
became  farmer  of  the  revenues  of  Judaea,  Samaiia, 
Phoenicia,  and  Coelesyria,  with  a  formidable  body  of 
tax  gatherers,  2000  soldiers.  By  making  one  or 
two  terrible  examples,  putting  to  death  twenty  men 
at  Ascalon,  and  confiscating  1000  talents  of  their 


32  HKTORY  OP  THE  JEWS.  [b.O,  Sfl? 

property,  and  by  the  same  severity  at  Scythopolis, 

Joseph  succe(!ded  in  raising  the  royal  revenue  with 
great  profit  to  himself.     He  continued  to  discharge 
his  office  with  vigilance,  punctuality,  and  prudence, 
*  for  twenty-two  years.     Nor  does  it  appear  that  his 
measures  were  unjust  or  oppressive.     His  adminis- 
tration lasted  till  the  invasion  of   Antiochus   the 
Great.     This  enterprising  monarch,  not  contented 
with  wresting  liis  own  territory  of  Ccelesyria  from 
tlie  power  of  Ptolemy,  seized  Judaea,  but  was  totally 
defeated   in  a  great  battle  at   Raphia,  near  Gaza. 
After  his  victory,  Ptolemy  (Philopator)  entered  Jeru- 
salem.    He  made  sumptuous  presents  to  the  temple, 
but  pressing  forward  to  enter  the  sanctuary,  he  was 
repelled  by  the  High  Priest,  Simon,  son  of  Onias. 
He  is  reported  to  have  been  seized  with  a  super- 
natural awe  and  horror ;  but  from  that  time  he  enter- 
tained implacable  animosity  against  the  Jews,  whom, 
it  is  said,  he  cruelly  persecuted,  as  will  hereafter  be 
related,  in  Alexandria.     During  the   monarchy  of 
the   next   Ptolemy   (Epiphanes),   Antiochus   again 
seized  Coelesyria  and  Judaea.     Scopas,  general  oi 
the    Egyptian   forces,   recovered,   garrisoned,    and 
strengthened  Jerusalem,  which  he  ruled  with  an  iron 
and  oppressive  hand.     But  being  defeated  near  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan,  he  was  constrained  to  leave 
Antiochus  undisputed  master  of  the  territory.     The 
Syrian  king  was  received  as  a  deliverer  in  Jerusalem, 
and  desirous  to  attach  these  valuable  allies  to  his 
cause,  he  issued  a  decree  highly  favourable  to  the 
wliole  nation,     Antiochus  afterward  bestowed  C(B- 
lesyria  and  Judaea,  as  the  dowry  of  his  daughter 
(Cleopatra,  on  the  young  king  of  Egypt,  Ptolemy 
Epiphanes.     Still,  however,  the  revenues  were  to 
h'i  shared  by  the  two  sovereigns.     In  what  manner 
tlie  king  of  Syria  regained  his  supr-riority  does  not 
appear,  but  probably  through  the  disorder  into  which 
the  affairs  of  Egypt  fell,  at  the  close  of  tb^  --eign  of 


B.C.  187.J  HYRCANTS  33 

Ptolemy  Epiphanes,  and  during  the  minority  of 
Ptolemy  Philomel  or. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  tyranny  of  foreign  sove- 
reigns, hut  the  unprincipled  ambition  of  llieir  own 
native  rulers,  that  led  to  calamities  little  less  dread- 
ful than  the  Babj'lonian  captivity,  the  plunder  and 
ruin  of  the  holy  city,  the  persecution,  and  almost 
the  extermination  of  the  people.  By  the  elevation 
of  Joseph,  the  son  of  Tobias,  to  the  office  of  col- 
lector, or  farmer  of  the  royal  revenue,  as  above 
related,  arose  a  family  powerful  enough  to  compete 
with  that  of  the  High  Priest.  Joseph  had  eiglit 
sons ;  the  youngest,  Hyrcanus,  by  his  own  niece, 
who  was  substituted  by  her  father  in  the  place  of  a 
dancer,  of  whom  Josepli  had  become  violently  ena- 
moured, in  Egj'pt.  This  niece  he  afterward  mar- 
ried. Hyrcanus,  being  sent  on  a  mission  to  congra- 
tulate Ptolemy  Philopator  on  the  birth  of  his  son, 
got  possession  of  all  his  father's  treasures.  By  the 
magnificence  of  his  presents,  a  hundred  beautiful 
girls,  and  a  hundred  beautiful  boys,  which  each  cost 
a  talent,  and  bore  a  talent  in  their  hands,  and  by  the 
readiness  of  his  wit,  he  made  as  favourable  an  im 
pression  in  the  court  as  his  father  had  done  before 
liim.  On  his  return  to  Judaa,  he  was  attacked  by 
lis  brothers,  on  account  of  his  appropriation  of  his 
father's  Egyptian  wealth:  two  of  them  were  slain 
in  the  affray.  Hyrcanus  then  retreated  beyond  the 
Jordan,  and  became  collector  of  the  revenue  in  tliat 
district.  On  his  father's  death  a  great  contest  arose 
about  the  partition  of  his  wealth ;  the  High  Priest, 
Onias  HI.,  took  part  with  the  elder  brothers  against 
Hyrcanus.  He  fled  again  beyond  Jordan,  built  a 
strong  tower,  and  committed  depredations  on  the 
Arabians,  probably  tlie  Nabatheans,  who  carried  on 
a  considerable  commerce.  Dreading,  however,  the 
vengeance  of  the  king  of  Syria,  he  fell  on  his  sword 
and  slew  himself.  A  feud  in  the  mean  time  had 
arisen  between  Onias  and  Simon,  according  to  con 


94  HMTORT  or  THE  JEWS  [b.C    176 

jecture  the  elder  son  of  Jcseph,  who  held  the  offiee 
of  governor  of  the  tomple.     The  immediate  cause 
of  dispute,  probably,  related  to  the  command  over 
the  treasury  of  the  temple,  in  which  Onias  had  per- 
mitted Hyrcanus  to  deposite  part  of  his  riches,  and 
over  which  Simon,  as  collector  of  the  royal  revenue, 
might  pretend  to  some  authority.     Simon  fled  to 
Apollonius,  who  governed  Ctelesyria,  under  King 
Seleucus,  and  gave  an  account  of  incalculable  trea- 
sures laid  up  in  the  Jewish  temple.     Heliodorus, 
the  royal  treasurer,  was  immediately  despatched  to 
take  possession  of  this  unexpected  fund,  so  oppor- 
tunely discovered;    for  the   finances   of   Seleucus 
were  exhausted  by  the  exactions  of  t'he  Romans. 
The  whole  city  was  in  an  agony  of  apprehension, 
the  High  Priest  seemed  in  the  deepest  distress,  while 
the  royal  officer  advanced  to  profane  and  pillage  the 
temple  of  God.     Suddenly  a  horse  with  a  terrible 
rider,  clad  in  golden  armour,  rushed  into  the  courts, 
and  smote  at  Heliodorus  with  his  fore  feet.     Two 
young  men,  of  great  strength  and  beauty,  and  splen- 
didly attired,  stood  by  the  rider,  and  scourged  the 
intruder  with  great  violence.     At  this  awful  appari- 
tion the  treasurer  fell  half  dead  upon  the  pavement, 
was  carried  senseless  out  of  the  precincts  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  only  revived  after  the  promise  of  the 
High  Priest  to  intercede  with  his  offended  Deity. 
Although  the  Jews  were  too  much  delighted,  and 
the  Syrians  too  much  terrified,  to  doubt  the  reality 
of  this  miracle,  yet  Simon,  the  adversary  of  the 
High  Priest,  was  not  only  incredulous,  but  openly 
accused  him  of  imposture.    The  factions  grew  moie 
turbulent,  and  murders  having  been  committed  by 
the  party  of  Simr  n,  Onias  went  up  to  Antioch  to 
request  the  interposition  of  the  sovereign.     Soon 
after  his  arrival,  Antiochus,  surnamed  Epiphanes 
the  Illustrious,  or  Epimanes  the  Madman,  succeeded 
nis  brother  Seleucus  on  the  throne  of  Syria.     An- 
tiochus united  the  quick  and  versatile  character  oJ 


B.C.   175.]         ANTIOCHUS    EPIIHANE8.  35 

a  Greek,  with  the  splendid  voluptuousness  of  an 
Asiatic.  At  one  time  he  debased  the  royal  dignity 
by  mingling  with  the  reveis  of  his  meanest  subjects, 
si-ounng  the  streets  in  his  riotous  frolics,  or  visiting 
tlie  lowest  places  of  public  entertainment,  and  the 
common  baths ;  or,  like  Peter  of  Russia,  conversing 
with  the  artisans  in  their  shops  on  their  various 
trades.  With  still  less  regard  to  the  dignity  of  his 
own  character,  he  was  fond  of  mimicking  in  public 
the  forms  of  election  to  the  Roman  magistracies ; 
he  would  put  on  a  white  robe,  and  canvass  the  pas- 
sengers in  the  streets  for  their  votes.  Then,  sup- 
posing  himself  to  have  been  elected  edile,  or  tribune, 
he  would  place  his  curule  chair  in  the  open  market- 
place, and  administer  justice.  A  poor  revenge 
against  a  people,  before  whose  power  he  trembled ! 
On  the  other  hand,  the  pleasures  of  Antiochus  were 
those  of  a  Sardanapalus ;  and  his  munificence,  more 
particularly  towards  the  religious  ceremonies  and 
edifices,  both  of  his  own  dominions  and  ol  Greece, 
was  on  a  scale  of  truly  Oriental  grandeur.  For 
among  the  discrepances  of  this  singular  character, 
must  be  reckoned  a  great  degree  of  bigotry  and 
religious  intolerance.  The  admirers  of  the  mild 
genius  of  the  Grecian  religion,  and  those  who  sup- 
pose religious  persecution  unknown  in  the  world  till 
the  era  of  Christianity,  would  do  well  to  consider 
the  wanton  and  barbarous  attempt  of  Antiochus  to 
exterminate  the  religion  of  the  Jews,  and  substitute 
that  of  the  Greeks.  Yet  the  savage  and  tyrannical 
violence  of  Antiochus  was,  in  fact,  and  surely  we 
may  say  providentially,  the  safeguard  of  the  Jewish 
nation  from  the  greatest  danger  to  which  it  had  ever 
been  exposed,  the  slow  and  secret  encroachment  of 
Grecian  manners,  Grecian  arts,  Grecian  vices,  and 
Grecian  idolatry.  It  roused  the  dormant  energy  of 
the  whole  people,  and  united  again,  in  indissoluble 
bonils,  the  generous  desire  of  national  independence, 
with  zealous  attachment  to  the  national  religion. 


36  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEVTS.  [b.C.  171. 

It  again  identified  the  true  patriot  with  the  devout 
worsliipper.  Joshua,  or  Jason,  the  brother  of  Onias, 
the  High  Priest,  by  the  offer  of  360  talents,  bribed 
the  hixurious,  but  needy  sovereign  of  Syria,  to  dis- 
pla(;e  his  unoffending  relative,  and  confer  upon  him- 
self the  vacant  dignity.  Onias  was  summoned  to 
Antioch,  and  there  detained  in  honourable  confine- 
ment. Joshua  proceeded  to  strengthen  his  own 
interests  by  undermining  the  national  character; 
he  assumed  a  Grecian  name,  Jason  ;  obtained  per- 
mission to  build  a  gymnasium,  to  which  he  attracted 
all  the  youth  of  the  city ;  weaned  them  by  degrees 
from  all  the  habits  and  opinions  of  their  fathers, 
and  trained  them  in  a  complete  system  of  Grecian 
education.  He  allowed  the  services  of  the  temple 
to  fall  into  disuse ;  and  carried  his  alienation  from 
the  Jewish  faith  so  far  as  to  send  a  contribution  to 
the  great  games,  which  were  celebrated  at  Tyre  in 
honour  of  their  tutelar  deity,  the  Hercules  of  the 
Greeks.  This  last  act  of  impiety  was  frustrated  by 
the  religious  feelings  of  his  messengers,  who,  instead 
of  conferring  the  present  on  the  conductors  of  the 
games,  gave  it  to  the  magistrates  to  be  employed  in 
the  service  of  their  fleet.  The  authority  of  Jason 
was  short-lived.  He  sent,  to  pay  the  tribute  at 
Antioch,  another  Onias,  (his  own  brother,  according 
to  Josephus,  or  the  brother  of  Simon,  the  son  ot 
Joseph,  according  to  the  book  of  Maccabees,)  but 
who,  in  conformity  to  the  Grecian  fashion,  had 
assumed  the  name  of  Menelaus.  This  man  seized 
the  opportunity  of  outbidding  his  employer  for  the 
high  priesthood,  and  was  accordingly  substituted  in 
his  place.  Menelaus,  however,  found  the  treasury 
exhausted  by  the  profusion  of  Jason,  and,  in  order 
to  make  gjod  his  payments  at  Antioch,  secretly  pur- 
Iciinod  the  golden  vessels  of  the  temple,  which  he 
sold  at  Tyre.  The  zeal  of  the  deposed  Onias  was 
kindled  at  this  sacrilege ;  he  publicly  denounced 
the  plunderer  before  the  tribunal  of  Antioch.     But 


B.C.  170  .J    PERSECUTION  BY  ANTIOCHCS.  3*7 

the  gold  of  Menelaus  was  all-powerful  among  the 
officers  of  the  Syriiin  rourt.  Oiiias  fled  to  ;in 
asylum  in  the  Dapliiie,  near  Antioch,  but  being  per- 
suaded t(t  come  forth,  was  put  to  death  by  Androni- 
cus,  whtim  Menehius  liad  bribed.  Yet  the  life  of 
Onias  had  been  so  blameless  and  dignified,  that 
even  the  profligate  court  and  thoughtless  monarch 
lamented  his  death.  In  the  mean  time  a  formidable 
insurrection  liad  taken  place  in  Jerusalem.  The 
people,  indignant  at  the  plunder  of  the  temple, 
attacked  Lysimachus,  brother  of  Menelaus.  who  had 
been  left  in  connnand,  and,  although  he  rallied  a 
force  of  3(KM)  men,  overpowered  and  slew  him. 

Aniiochiis  had  now  opened  his  campaign  for  the 
subpigation  of  Kg}'pt.  Whde  at  Tyre,  a  deputation 
fniin  Jerusalem  came  before  him  to  complain  of  the 
tyranny  of  Menelaus.  Menelaus  contrived  not 
merely  that  the  embassy  should  have  no  effect,  but 
the  ambassadors  themselves  were  murdered.  Anti- 
ochus  advanced  the  next  year  into  Egypt :  his  career 
was  victorious  :  the  wliole  country  submitted.  But 
a  false  rumour  of  his  death  having  reached  Pales- 
Ime,  Jason,  the  dispossessed  High  Priest,  seized  the 
opportunity  of  revolt  against  his  brother,  took  the 
city,  shut  up  Menelaus  in  the  castle  of  Acra,  and 
began  to  exercise  the  most  horrible  revenge  against 
the  opposite  party.  The  intelligence  of  the  insur- 
rection, magnified  into  a  deliberate  revolt  of  the 
whole  nation,  reached  Antiochus.  He  marched 
without  delay  against  Jerusalem,  took  it  without 
much  resistance,  put  to  death  in  three  days'  time 
40,000  of  the  inhabitants,  and  seized  as  many  more 
to  be  sold  as  slaves.  Bad  as  this  was,  it  was  the 
common  fate  of  rebellious  cities :  but  Antiochus 
proceeded  to  more  cruel  and  wanton  outrages 
against  the  religion  of  the  people.  He  entered  every 
part  of  the  temple,  pillaged  the  treasury,  seized  a^ 
the  sacred  utensils,  the  golden  candlestick,  the  table 
of  showbread,  the  altar  of  incense ;  and  thus  col- 


38  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [B.C.  168 

lected  a  booty  to  the  amount  of  1800  talents.  He 
theiicommandod  ;i  <jreat  sow  to  bf  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  burnt-ofreriugs,  part  of  the  liesh  to  be  boiled, 
and  the  liquor  from  the  unclean  animal  to  be 
sprinkled  over  every  part  of  the  temple ;  and  thus 
desecrated  with  the  most  odious  defilement  the 
sacred  place,  which  the  Jews  had  considered  for 
centuries  the  one  holy  spot  in  all  the  universe. 
The  dastardly  Jason  had  escaped  before  the  ap- 
proach of  Antiochus :  he  led  a  wandering  life  ;  and 
died  at  length,  unpitied  and  despised,  at  Lacedae- 
mon.  Menelaus  retained  the  dignity  of  High  Priest ; 
but  two  foreign  officers,  Philip,  a  Phrygian,  and 
Andronicus,  were  made  governors  of  Jerusalem  and 
Samaria.  Two  years  afterward,  Antiochus,  being 
expelled  from  Egypt  by  the  Romans,  determined  to 
suppress  every  pretension  to  independence  within 
his  own  territories.  He  apprehended,  perhaps,  the 
usual  policy  of  the  Romans,  who  never  scrupled  at 
any  measures  to  weaken  the  powerful  monarchies 
which  stood  in  the  way  of  their  schemes  of  con- 
quest, whether  by  exciting  foreign  enemies,  or 
fomenting  civil  disturbances  in  their  states.  The 
execution  of  the  sanguinary  edict  for  the  exter- 
mination of  the  whole  Hebrew  race  was  intrusted  to 
ApoUonius,  and  executed  with  as  cruel  despatch  as 
the  most  sanguinary  tyrant  could  desire.  ApoUo- 
nius waited  till  the  sabbath,  when  the  whole  people 
were  occupied  in  their  peaceful  religious  duties. 
He  then  let  loose  his  soldiers  against  the  unresisting 
multitude,  slew  all  the  men,  till  the  streets  ran  with 
Dlood,  and  seized  all  the  women  as  captives.  He 
proceeded  to  pillage,  and  then  to  dismantle  the  city, 
which  he  set  on  fire  in  many  places ;  he  threw  down 
Ihe  walls,  and  built  a  strong  fortress  on  the  highest 
part  of  Mount  Sion,  which  commanded  the  temple 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  city.  From  this  garrison  he 
harassed  all  the  people  of  the  country,  who  stole  in 
with  fond  attachment  to  visit  the  ruins,  or  offer  -i 


B.C.  167.']  MARTYnDOMS.  39 

hasty  and  interrupted  worship  in  the  place  of  the 
sanctuary;  for  all  the  public  services  had  ceased, 
and  no  voice  of  adoration  was  heard  in  the  holy 
city,  unless  of  the  profane  heathen  calling-  on  their 
idols.  The  persecution  did  not  end  here.  Antiochus 
issued  out  an  edict  for  uniformity  of  worship  through- 
out his  dominions,  and  despatched  officers  into  all 
parts  to  enforce  rigid  compliance  with  the  decree. 
This  office  in  the  district  of  Judaja  and  Samaria,  was 
assig-ned  to  Athenaeus,  an  aged  man,  who  was  well 
versed  in  the  ceremonies  and  usages  of  the  Grecian 
religion.  The  Samaritans,  according  to  the  Jewish 
account,  by  whom  they  are  represented,  as  always 
asserting  their  Jewish  lineage,  when  it  seemed  to 
their  advantage,  and  their  Median  descent,  when 
they  hoped  thereby  to  escape  any  imminent  danger, 
yielded  at  once ;  and  the  temple  on  Gerizim  was 
formally  consecrated  to  Jupiter  Xenius.  Athenaeus, 
having  been  so  far  successful,  proceeded  to  Jerusa- 
lem, where,  with  the  assistance  of  the  garrison,  he 
prohibited  and  suppressed  every  observance  of  the 
Jewish  religion,  forced  the  people  to  profane  the 
sabbath,  to  eat  swine's  flesh  and  other  unclean  food, 
and  expressly  forbade  the  national  rite  of  circum- 
cision. The  temple  was  dedicated  to  Jupiter  Olym- 
pius ;  the  statue  of  that  Deity  erected  on  part  of  the 
altar  of  burnt  offijrings,  and  sacrifice  duly  performed. 
Two  women,  who  circumcised  their  children,  were 
hanged  in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  city,  witli  their 
children  round  their  necks  :  and  many  more  of  those 
barbarities  committed,  which,  as  it  were,  escape  the 
reprobation  of  posterity,  from  their  excessive  atro- 
city. Cruelties,  too  horrible  to  be  related,  some- 
times, for  that  very  reason,  do  not  meet  with  the 
detestation  they  deserve.  Among  other  martyrdoms 
Jewish  tradition  dwells  with  honest  pride  on  that  of 
Eleazar,  an  aged  scribe,  ninety  years  old,  who  deter- 
mined to  leave  a  notable  example  to  such  as  be  youn^ 
io  die  willingly  and  courageousli   for  the  honourable 


40  HISTORY  OF  THE   JEW3.         [b.C.  167 

and  holy  laws :  and  that  of  the  seven  brethren,  who, 
pt'.couraged  by  tlifir  iiiotlier,  rejected  the  most  splen- 
did offers,  and  confronted  the  most  excruciating; 
tonnents,  rather  than  infringe  the  law.  From  Jeru- 
salem the  persecution  spread  throughout  the  coun- 
try: in  every  city  the  same  barbarities  were  exe- 
cuted, the  same  profanations  introduced ;  and,  as  a 
last  insult,  the  feasts  of  the  Bacchanalia,  the  license 
of  which,  as  they  were  celebrated  in  the  later  ages 
of  Greece,  shocked  the  severe  virtue  of  the  older 
Romans,  were  substituted  for  the  national  festival 
of  Tabernacles.  The  reluctant  .Tews  were  forced 
to  join  in  these  riotous  orgies,  and  carry  the  ivy,  the 
nsignia  o  f  the  god.  So  near  was  the  Jewish  nation, 
and  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  to  total  exterminatioa 


6.C.  168.]  (  41   ) 


BOOK  X. 

THE   ASM0NEAN8, 

Matiuthiat — Judas  the  Maccahee — Jonathan — Simon — John  Itfreanut 
— iristohulus  the  I. — Alexander  JanniBus — Alexandra — ArUtobu 
lus  II. — Hyrcanus  II. 

At  this  crisis  Divine  Providence  interposed,  not 
as  formerly,  with  miraculous  assistance,  but  by  the 
instrumentality  of  human  virtues;  the  lofty  patriot- 
ism, adventurous  valour,  daring  and  sagacious  sol- 
diership, generous  self-devotion,  and  inextinguish- 
able zeal  of  heroic  men  in  the  cause  o^  their  country 
and  their  God.  In  Mod  in,  a  town  on  an  eminence, 
commanding  a  view  of  the  sea,  the  exact  site  of 
which  is  unknown,  lived  Mattathias,  a  man  of  the 
priestly  line  of  Joarib,  himself  advanced  in  years, 
but  with  five  sons  in  the  prime  of  life,  Johanan, 
Simon,  Judas,  Eleazar,  and  Jonathan.  When  Apelles, 
the  officer  of  Antiochus,  arrived  at  Modin  to  enforce 
the  execution  of  the  edict  against  the  Jewish  reli- 
I  gion  he  made  splendid  offers  to  Mattathias,  as  a 
man  of  great  influence,  to  induce  him  to  submit  to 
tlie  royal  will.  The  old  man  not  merely  rejected 
his  advances,  but  publi(-ly  proclaimed  his  resolution 
to  live  and  die  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers;  and  when 
an  apostate  Jew  was  about  to  offer  sacrifice  to  the 
heathen  deity,  in  a  transport  of  indignant  zeal,  Mat- 
tathias struck  him  dead  upon  the  aliar.  He  then 
tell  on  the  king's  connnissioner,  put  him  to  death, 
and  sunmoned  all  the  citizens,  who  were  zealous 
for  the  law,  to  follow  him  to  the  mountains.  Their 
numbsrs  rapidly  increased;  but  the  Syrian  troops 
having  surprised  1000  in  a  cave,  attacked  them  on 
the  sabbath  day,  and  meeting  with  no  resistance, 
II.— D 


■^S  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.    166. 

Blew  them  without  mercy.  From  thenceforth  Mat- 
tathias  and  his  followers  determined  to  break 
through  this  over-scrupulous  observance  of  the  sab- 
bath, and  to  assert  the  legality  of  defensive  warfare 
on  that  day. 

The  insurgents  conducted  their  revolt  with  equal 
enterprise  and  discretion.     For  a  time  they  lay  hid 
in  the  mountain   fastnesses;  and,   as  opportunity 
occurred,  poured  down  upon  the  towns ;  destroyed 
the  heathen  altars ;  enforced  circumcision;  punished 
all  apostates  who  fell  into  their  hands,  recovered 
many  copies  of  the  law,  which  their  enemies  had 
wantonly   defaced;    and   re-established   the   syna- 
gogues for  public  worship  ;  the  temple  being  defiled, 
and  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy.     Their  ranks 
were  swelled  with  the  zealots  for  the  law,  who  were 
then  called  the  Chasidim.     For,     immediately  after 
the  return  from  Babylonia,  two  sects  had  divided 
the  people ;  the  Zadikim,  the  righteous,  who  ob- 
served the  written  law  of  Moses ;  and  the   more 
austere  and  abstemious  Chasidim,  or  the  holy,  who 
added  to  the  law  the  traditions  and  observances  of 
the  fathers,  and  professed  a  holiness  beyond  the 
letter  of  the  covenant.     From  the  former  sprung 
the  Caraites  and  Sadducees  of  later  times  ;  from  the 
latter,  the  Pharisees.     But  the  age  of  Mattathias 
was  ill  suited  to  this  laborious  and  enterprising  war- 
fare :  having  bequeathed  the  command  to  Judas,  the 
most  valiant  of  his  sons,  he  sank  under  the  weight 
of  years  and  toil.     So  great  already  was  the  terror 
of  his  name,  that  he  was  buried,  without  disturb- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  in  his  native  city  of 
Modin. 

If  the  youth  of  the  new  general  added  vigour  and 
enterprise  to  the  cause,  it  lost  nothing  in  prudence 
and  discretion.  Judas  unfolded  the  banner  of  the 
Maccabees,  a  name  of  which  the  derivation  is  un- 
certain. Some  assert  tliat  it  is  formed  from  the 
i^oncludhig  letters  of  a  sentence  in  the   eleventh 


B.C.  166.]  JXTDAS  THE  MACCABEE.  43 

verse  of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Exodus,  "  Mi  Camo 
Ka  Baalim  J.^tiov.ili."  pWrnifvinn-,  Who  is  like  r-  I'.o 
thee  amovg  the  Gods,  O  Jehovah.  ^>ome  that  it  \v,is 
(he  banner  of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  wliicli  contained  tlie 
three  last  letters  of  the  names  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob :  others  that  it  was  the  personal  appella- 
tion )f  Judas,  from  a  word  sisjnifvinof  a  hamniei, 
like  that  of  Charles  IMnrlel,  the  hero  of  the  Franks. 
Having-  tried  his  soldiers  by  many  gallant  adven- 
tures, surprising  many  cities,  which  he  garrisoned 
and  fortified,  Judas  determined  to  meet  the  enemy 
m  the  field.  Apollonius,  the  governor  of  Samaria, 
first  advanced  against  him,  and  was  totally  defeated 
and  slain.  Judas  took  the  sword  of  his  enemy  as  a 
trophy,  and  ever  after  used  it  in  battle.  Seron,  the 
deputy-governor  of  Ceelesyria,  advanced  to  revenge 
the  defeat  of  Apollonius,  but  encountering  the  enemy 
in  the  strong  pass  of  Beth-horon,  met  with  the  same 
fate.  The  circumstances  of  the  times  favoured  the 
noble  struggle  of  Judas  and  his  followers  for  inde- 
pendence. By  his  prodigal  magnificence,  both  in 
his  pleasures  and  in  his  splendid  donatives  and 
offerings,  Antiochus  had  exhausted  his  finances. 
His  eastern  provinces,  Armenia  and  Persia,  refused 
their  tribute.  He  therefore  was  constrained  to 
divide  his  forces,  marching  himself  into  the  east, 
and  leaving  Lysias,  with  a  great  army,  to  crush  the 
msurrection  in  Judaea.  The  rapid  pro'gress  of  Judas 
demanded  immediate  resistance.  Philip,  the  Syrian 
governor  in  Jerusalem,  sent  urgent  solicitations  for 
relief.  The  vanguard  of  the  Syrian  army,  amount- 
ing to  20,000,  under  the  command  of  Nicanor  and 
(■'orgias,  advanced  rapidly  into  the  province  :  it  was 
followed  by  the  general  in  chief,  Ptolemy  Macron , 
their  united  forces  forming  an  army  of  40,000  foot 
and  7000  horse.  In  their  train  came  a  multitude  of 
slave  merchants;  for  Nicanor  had  suggested  the 
policy  of  selling  as  many  of  the  insurgents  as  they 
could  take,  to  discharge  the  arrears  of  tiibute  due 


44  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS  [b    J     iSft 

to  the   Romans.     Judas  assembled   6000   men  al 

MizptMi-  therf  thr>y  fasti'd  anrl  prnvpd;  and  the 
relig-ious  ceremony,  performed  in  that  unusual  place, 
sadly  rciniii.lpd  thtMii  of  tlie  desolate  state  of  thi'  holy 
city,  the  profanation  of  the  sanctuary,  tiie  discon- 
tinuance of  the  sacrifices.  But  if  sorrow  subdued 
the  tamer  spirits,  it  infused  loftier  indiirnation  and 
nobler  self-devotion  in  the  valiant.  Judas  knew 
that  his  only  hope,  save  in  his  God,  was  in  the  en- 
thusiastic zeal  of  !iis  followers  for  the  law  of  Moses. 
In  strict  conformity  to  its  injunctions,  he  issued  out 
throuy-h  his  littU-  army  the  appointed  proclamation, 
that  all  who  Jiad  married  wives,  built  houses,  or 
planted  vineyards,  or  were  fearful,  should  return  to 
their  homes.  His  force  dwindbd  to  3000  men. 
Yet  with  this  small  band  he  advanced  toward  Em- 
mans,  where  the  enemy  lay  encamped.  Intelligence 
reached  him  that  Gorg-ias  had  been  detached  with 
5000  chosen  foot  and  1000  horse,  to  surprise  him  by 
night.  He  instantly  formed  the  daring  resolution  of 
eludir.g  the  attack,  by  falling  on  the  camp  of  the 
enemy.  It  was  morning  before  he  arrived;  but, 
animating  his  men  to  the  attack,  he  rushed  down 
upon  the  Syrians,  who,  after  a  feeble  resistance,  fled 
on  all  sides.  Judas  was  as  wary  as  bold ;  his  troops 
as  well-disciplined  as  enterprising.  He  restrained 
them  from  the  plunder  of  the  camp,  till  the  return 
of  Gorgias  with  the  flower  of  the  army,  who  came 
back  weary  with  seeking  the  Jewish  insurgents 
among  the  mountains,  where  they  had  hoped  to  sur- 
prise them.  To  their  astonislunent  they  beheld 
their  own  camp  in  a  blaze  of  fire.  The  contest  was 
short,  but  decisive  :  the  Syrians  were  defeated  with 
immense  loss.  The  rich  booty  of  the  camp  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Jews,  who,  with  just  retribution 
sold  for  slaves  as  many  of  the  slave-merchants  as 
they  could  find.  The  next  day  was  the  sabbath,  a 
day  indeed  of  rest  and  rejoicing.  But  success  only 
excited  the  honourable  ambition  of  the  Maccabee. 


B.C.   1 00. J  VICTORIES  OF  JUI>AS.  46 

Hearing-  that  a  great  force  was  assembling  beyond 
the  Jordan  under  Timotheus  and  Bacchides,  he 
crossed  the  river,  and  gained  a  great  victory  and 
a  considerable  supply  of  arras.  Here  two  of  the 
chief  oppressors  of  the  Jews,  Philarches  and  Callis- 
thenes,  perished  ;  one  in  battle  ;  the  other  burnt  to 
death  in  a  house,  where  he  had  taken  refuge.  Ni- 
canor  fled,  in  the  disguise  of  a  slave,  to  Antioch. 
The  next  year  Lysias  appeared  in  person,  at  the 
head  of  60,000  foot  and  5,000  horse,  on  the  southern 
frontier  of  Judaea ;  having  perhaps  levied  part  of  hia 
men  among  the  Idumeans.  This  tribe  now  inha- 
bited a  district  to  the  west  of  their  ancestors,  the 
Edomites,  having  been  dispossessed  of  their  former 
territory  by  the  Nabathean  Arabs.  Judas  met  this 
formidable  host  with  10,000  men ;  gained  a  decisive 
victory,  and  slew  5000  of  the  enemy.  Thus  on  all 
sides  triumphant,  Judas  entered,  with  his  valiant  con- 
federates, the  ruined  and  desolate  Jerusalem.  They 
jound  shrubs  grown  to  some  height,  like  the  under- 
wood of  a  forest,  in  the  courts  of  the  temple ;  every 
part  of  the  sacred  edifice  had  been  profaned ;  the 
chambers  of  the  priests  were  thrown  down.  With 
wild  lamentations  and  the  sound  of  martial  trumpets 
they  mingled  their  prayers  and  praises  to  the  God 
of  their  fathers.  Judas  took  the  precaution  to  keep 
a  body  of  armed  men  on  the  watch  against  the  Syrian 
garrison  in  the  citadel ;  and  then  proceeded  to  instal 
the  most  blameless  of  the  priests  in  their  office,  to 
repair  the  sacred  edifice,  purify  every  part  from  the 
profanation  of  the  heathen,  to  construct  a  new  altar, 
replace  out  of  the  booty  all  the  sacred  vessels,  and 
at  length  to  celebrate  the  feast  of  dedication — a 
period  of  eight  days — which  ever  after  was  held 
sacred  in  the  Jewish  calendar.  Ii  was  the  festival 
of  the  regeneration  of  the  people,  which,  but  for  the 
valour  of  the  Maccabees,  had  almost  lost  its  political 
existence. 
The  re-establishment  of  a  f*^erful  state  in  Ju- 


46  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS.         [b.C.    1 64 

daea  was  not  beheld  without  jealousy  by  the  neigh, 
bouring  tribes.  But  Judas,  having  strongly  fortified 
the  temple  on  the  side  of  the  citadel,  anticipated  a 
powerful  confederacy  which  was  forming  against 
him,  and  carried  his  victorious  arms  into  the  territo- 
ries of  the  Idumeans  and  Ammonites.  Thus  dis- 
comfited on  every  side,  the  Syrians  and  their  allies 
began  to  revenge  themselves  on  the  Jews  who  were 
scattered  in  Galilee  and  the  Transjordanic  pro- 
vinces. A  great  force  from  Tyre  and  Ptolemais  ad- 
vanced into  the  neighbouring  country.  Timotheus, 
son  of  a  former  general  of  the  same  name,  laid 
waste  Gilead  with  great  slaughter.  Judas,  by  the 
general  consent  of  the  people,  divided  his  army  into 
three  parts ;  8000  men,  under  his  own  command, 
crossed  the  Jordan  into  Gilead;  3000,  under  his 
brother  Simon,  marched  into  Galilee ;  the  rest,  under 
Joseph  the  son  of  Zacharias,  and  Azarias,  remained 
to  defend  the  liberated  provinces ;  but  with  strict 
injunctions  to  make  no  hostile  movement.  The 
Maccabees,  as  usual,  were  irresistible :  city  after 
city  fell  before  Judas  and  Jonathan.  At  length, 
having  subdued  the  whole  country,  Judas  found  it 
prudent  not  to  extend  his  kingdom  to  the  bounds  of 
that  of  David,  and  with  that  view  removed  all  the 
Jews  beyond  the  Jordan  to  the  more  defensible  pro- 
vince of  Judaea.  Simon  was  equally  successful  in 
Galilee ;  he  drove  the  enemy  before  him  to  the  gates 
of  Ptolemais.  But  the  commanders  who  were  left 
at  home,  in  direct  violation  of  orders,  undertook  an 
ill-concerted  enterprise  against  Jamnia,  a  seaport; 
were  opposed  by  Bacchides,  the  most  skilful  of  the 
Syrian  generals,  and  met  with  a  signal  defeat. 

In  the  meantime  the  great  oppressor  of  the  Jews, 
Antiochus,  had  died  in  Persia.  That  his  end  was 
miserable  both  the  Jewish  and  Roman  historians 
agree.  He  had  been  repulsed  in  an  assault  on  a 
rich  and  sumptuous  temple  in  Persia,  called  by  the 
Greeks  that  of  Diana  ;  perhaps  of  the  female  Mithra 


B.C.    1 64. J  SIEGE  OF  BETHStJRA  4*7 

or  the  moon.  Whether  he  had  been  incited  by  the 
desire  of  plunder,  or  by  his  bigoted  animosity 
agaii'st  foreign  religions,  does  not  appear;  but  at 
the  same  time  he  received  intelligence  of  the  dis- 
astrous state  of  his  affairs  in  Palestine.  Hastening 
homeward,  he  was  se)2ed  with  an  incurable  disorder, 
ill  a  small  town  among  the  mountains  of  Paretacene. 
There,  consumed  in  body  by  a  loathsome  ulcer, 
afflicted  in  mind  by  horrible  apparitions  and  remorse 
of  conscience,  for  his  outrage  on  the  Persian  temple, 
sa3's  Polybius — for  his  horrible  barbarities  and  sa- 
crilege in  Judsea,  assert  the  Hebrew  writers — died  the 
most  magnificent  of  the  Syro-Macedonian  monarchs. 
Lysias,  who  commanded  in  Syria,  immediately 
Bet  up  a  son  of  the  deceased  king,  Antiochus  Eupa 
tor,  upon  the  throne ;  Demetrius,  the  rightful  heii 
ds  son  of  Seleucus,  being  a  hostage  in  Rome.  The 
first  measure  of  Lysias  was  to  attempt  the  subjuga- 
tion of  Judaea,  where  a  strong  party  of  the  apostate 
Jews  anxiously  awaited  his  approach.  The  royal 
army  formed  the  siege  of  Bethsura,  a  town  on  the 
Idumean  frontier,  which  Judas  had  strongly  fortified. 
Their  force  consisted  of  80  or  100,000  foot,  20,000 
horse,  and  32  elephants.  Bethsura  made  a  valiant 
defence,  and  Judas  marched  from  Jerusalem  to  its 
relief.  The  elephants  seem  to  have  excited  great 
terror  and  astonishment.  According  to  the  Jewish 
annalist  each  beast  was  escorted  by  a  thousand  foot, 
splendidly  armed,  and  500  horse;  each  bore  a  tower 
containing  32  men;  and  to  provoke  them  to  fight, 
(hey  showed  them  the  blood  of  grapes  and  mulberries. 
The  whole  army,  in  radiant  armour,  spread  over  the 
mountains  and  valleys,  so  that  the  moxintains  glis- 
tened therewith,  and  seevied  like  lamps  of  fire.  Yet 
wherever  Judas  fought,  the  Hebrews  were  success- 
ful ;  and  his  heroic  brother,  Kleazar,  excited  the  ad- 
miration of  his  countiymen  by  rushing  under  an 
elephant,  which  he  st;ibbed  in  the  belly,  and  was 
crushed  to  death  by  its  fall.     Still  Judas  found  him- 


48  niSTORY    OF   THE   JEWS.        [b.c.   163 

Belf  obliged  to  retreat  upon  Jerusalem.  Bethsura, 
pressed  by  famine,  capitulated  on  honourable  terms; 
and  the  royal  army  joined  the  siege  of  that  part  of 
the  city,  which  was  in  the  possession  of  .ludas. 
Jerusalem  resisted  all  their  assaults ;  the  Syrians 
began  to  suffer  from  want  of  provisions ;  and  intel- 
ligence arrived  that  affairs  at  Antioch  demanded 
their  immediate  presence.  A  treaty  was  concluded, 
and  Antiochus  admitted  into  the  city ;  but  in  direct 
violation  of  the  terms,  he  threw  down  the  walls  and 
dismantled  the  fortifications. 

Demetrius  in  the  mean  time,  the  lineal  heir  to  the 
throne  of  Antioch,  had  escaped  from  Rome.  After 
some  struggle,  he  overpowered  Lysias  and  Antio- 
chus, put  them  to  death,  and  became  undisputed 
master  of  the  kingdom.  The  new  king  adopted  a 
more  dangerous  policy  against  the  independence  of 
Judaea  than  the  vast  armies  of  his  predecessor. 
The  looser  and  less  patriotic  Jews  ill-brooked  the 
austere  government  of  the  Chasidim,  who  formed 
the  party  of  Judas  :  many,  perhaps,  were  weary  of 
the  constant  warfare  in  which  their  valiant  cham- 
pion was  engaged.  Menelaus,  the  renegade  High 
Priest,  had  accompanied  the  army  of  Lysias,  and 
endeavoured  to  form  a  faction  in  his  favour :  but, 
on  some  dissatisfaction,  Lysias  sent  him  to  Berea, 
where  he  was  thrown  into  a  tower  of  ashes  and 
suffocated.  Onias,  son  of  the  Onias  murdered  by 
means  of  Menelaus,  the  heir  of  the  priesthood,  fled 
to  p]gypt,  and  Alcimus,  or  Jacimus,  was  raised  to 
the  high  priesthood.  By  reviving  the  title  of  the 
High  Priest  to  the  supreme  authority,  Demetriua 
hoped,  if  not  to  secure  a  dependant  vassal  on  the 
government  of  Judaja,  at  least  to  sow  discord  among 
the  insurgents.  He  sent  Alcimus,  supported  by 
Bacchides,  his  most  able  general,  to  claim  his  dig- 
nity. The  zealots  f  r  the  law  could  not  resist  the 
title  of  the  High  Priest.  Jerusalem  submitted. 
But  no  sooner  had  Alcimus  got  the  leaders  irto  his 


BC.  162.]  FALL  OF  JUDAS.  49 

power  than  he  bas-ely  murdered  sixty  of  them; 
Bacchides  followed  up  the  blow  with  great  severi- 
ties in  other  parts.  Still,  no  sooner  had  Bacchides 
withdrawn  his  troops,  than  Judas  again  took  arms, 
and  Alcimus  was  compelled  to  fly  to  Antioch.  De- 
metrius despatched  Nicanor,  with  a  great  army,  to 
reinstate  Alcimus.  Jerusalem  was  still  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Syrians;  and  Nicanor  attempted  to 
get  Judas  into  his  power  by  stratagem,  but  the 
wary  soldier  was  on  hia  guard.  A  battle  took 
place  at  Capharsalama :  Nicanor  retreated,  with 
the  less  of  5000  men,  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  re- 
venged nimself  by  the  g^-eatest  barbarities :  one  of 
the  elders,  named  Razi/,  rather  than  fall  into  his 
hands,  stabbed  himself  with  his  own  sword;  but  the 
wound  not  proving  mortal,  he  ran  forth  and  de- 
stroyed himself  by  other  means,  too  horrible  to  de- 
scribe. By  these  cruelties,  and  by  a  threat  of  burn- 
ing the  temple  and  consecrating  the  spot  to  Bacchus, 
Nicanor  endeavoured  to  force  the  people  to  surren- 
der their  champion.  All  these  treacherous  and 
cruel  means  proving  ineffectual,  he  was  forced  to 
revert  to  open  war.  A  second  battle  took  place,  in 
which  the  superior  forces  of  Nicanor  were  totally 
routed,  and  he  himself  slain.  After  this  final  vic- 
tory Judas  took  a  more  decided  step  to  secure  the 
independence  of  his  country;  he  entered  into  a 
formal  treaty  of  alliance  with  Rome.  The  ambi- 
tious Roman  senate— steadily  pursuing  their  usual 
policy,  of  weakening  all  the  great  monarchies  of  the 
world,  by  all  means  whether  honourable  or  trea- 
cherous ;  and  ever,  as  Justin  observes,  ready  to  grant 
what  did  not  belong  to  them — eagerly  ratified  the 
independence  of  Judfea,  and  received  under  their 
protection  these  useful  confederates.  Before,  how- 
ever, the  treaty  was  made  known,  the  glorious  ca- 
reer of  the  Maccabee  had  terminated.  Demetrius 
sent  Alcimus  and  Bacchides,  with  the  whole  force 
of  his  kuigdom,  into  Palestine.  Judas  was  aban- 
VoL  U  -E 


fcO  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS.       [b.C.  161 

doned  by  all  his  troops,  but  800  men,  yet  could  not 
bo  prevailed  on  to  retreat.  Tin  nr.z  discomfited  one 
wing  of  the  enemy's  army,  he  fell  nobly,  as  he  had 
lived,  the  martyr,  as  the  champion  of  his  country. 
Among  those  lofty  spirits  who  have  asserted  the 
liberty  of  their  native  land  against  wanton  and 
cruel  oppression,  none  have  surpassed  t?.e  most  able 
of  the  Maccabees  in  accomplishing  a  great  end  with 
inadequate  means;  none  ever  united  more  generous 
valour  with  a  better  cause. 

The  faction  of  Alcimus  now  triumphed,  the  parti- 
sans of  the  Maccabees  were  oppressed,  and  the 
unrelenting  Bacchides  put  to  death  the  bravest  of 
their  adherents  with  the  most  cruel  indignities. 
Jonathan,  the  brother  of  Judas,  assembled  a  small 
force,  and  lay  concealed  in  the  wilderness  of  Te- 
koah,  defended  by  tlie  Jordan  on  one  side,  and  a 
morass  on  the  other.  A  third  of  this  gallant  race, 
John,  had  fallen  in  an  affray  with  an  Arab  tribe,  who 
surprised  him  while  escorting  some  of  their  effects 
to  the  friendly  Nabatheans.  To  revenge  his  death 
was  the  first  object ;  during  a  splendid  marriage  cere- 
mony, the  Jews  fell  on  the  bride  and  bridegroom, 
with  all  their  attendants,  and  put  them  to  the  sword. 
Soon  after  this  they  repelled  an  attack  of  Bacchides, 
with  great  loss,  but  finding  their  numbers  unequal  to 
the  contest,  they  swam  the  river  and  escaped. 
Bacchides,  to  secure  military  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, fortified  and  garrisoned  all  the  strong  towns. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  unworthy  High  Priest,  Alcimus, 
having  begun  to  throw  down  one  of  the  partition 
walls  in  the  temple,  was  seized  with  a  mortal  dis- 
order, and  died.  On  his  death,  Bacchides  retired  to 
Antioch,  and  Jonathan  immediately  broke  out  of  his 
hiding-place ;  but  on  the  reappearance  of  Bacchides 
^t  the  head  of  a  considerable  anny,  he  again  took 
refuge  in  the  wilderness ;  where  he  kept  up  a  desul- 
tory guerilla  warfare,  he  himself  hovering  about  the 
camp  of  Bacchides.  while  his  brother  Simon  d3» 


B.C.  163.]       JOTfATHAN,    HIGH    PRIEST.  Si 

fended  the  strong  post  of  Bethhasi.  At  length  Bac- 
chides,  either  wearied  of  this  inglorious  and  harass- 
ing campaign,  perhaps  by  orders  from  his  court,  who 
began  to  tremble  at  the  danger  of  oppressing  an  ally 
of  Rome,  entered  into  honourable  terms  of  peace. 
Jonathan  thus  became  master  of  Judaea;  though 
Jerusalem,  and  many  of  the  stronger  towns,  occu- 
pied by  garrisons,  either  of  Syrians  or  apostate  Jews, 
defied  his  authority.  A  revolution  in  the  kingdom 
of  Syria  gave  him  new  strength  and  importance. 
An  adventurer,  Alexander  Balas,  announcing  himself 
as  the  son  of  Antiochus  Epiphaues,  laid  claim  to  the 
crown  of  the  Seleucidae.  Tlie  Romans  admitted  his 
title,  and  Jonathan  found  himself  courted  by  the  two 
competitors  for  the  kingdom  of  Antioch.  Demetrius 
gave  him  power  to  levy  forces,  and  yielded  up  all 
the  hostages  wliich  remained  in  his  hands.  Jona- 
than seizedtheopportunityof  making  himself  master 
of  the  city,  though  not  of  the  fortress,  of  Jerusalem. 
But  Alexander  outbid  his  rival ;  he  offered  the  high 
priesthood  exemption  from  all  tribute,  from  customs 
of  salt  and  from  crozen  taxes,  the  third  part  of  the  seed 
and  half  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees ;  the  surrender  of  all 
prisoners,  not  merely  protection  in  their  religion,  but 
the  town  of  Ptolemais,  and  other  donatives  for  the 
expenses  of  the  temple,  and  for  the  building  and 
repairs  of  the  city.  Jonathan  immediately  assumed 
the  pontifical  robe,  and  in  his  person  commenced  the 
reign  of  the  Asmonean  princes.  The  impostor, 
Alexander,  met  with  the  greatest  success ;  defeated 
and  slew  Demetrius;  mounted  the  tiirone  of  Syria; 
and  received  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Egypt  in 
marriage.  Jonathan,  who  appeared  at  the  Aveddi«g, 
was  received  with  the  highest  honours  that  the  court 
could  bestow.  These  distinctions  were  not  thrown 
away  on  a  useless  or  ungrateful  ally.  Apollonius, 
the  general  of  young  Demetrius,  who  laid  claim  to 
his  father's  crown,  was  defeated  by  Jonathan ;  the 
victorious  High  Priest  stormed  Jt)i»pa,  took  Azotus 


S2  HISTORY    OP   THE   JEWS.       [b.C.  146 

and  there  destroyed  the  famous  temple  of  Dagon. 
The  reign  of  Alexander  Balas  was  short,  he  was 
overthrown  hy  his  father-in-law,  Ptolemy,  against 
»  whose  life  he  had  conspired,  and  Demetrius,  sur- 
named  Nicator,  obtained  tlie  throne  of  Syria.  Jona- 
than seized  the  opportunity  of  laying  siege  to  the 
citadel  of  Jerusalem,  the  opposite  faction  endea- 
voured to  obtain  the  interference  of  Demetrius,  but 
Jonathan,  leaving  his  troops  to  press  the  siege,  went 
in  person  to  the  court  in  Antioch.  He  was  received 
with  great  honour,  and  a  treaty  was  concluded,  still 
more  advantageous  to  his  power  than  that  with 
Alexander  Balas.  In  return,  a  bodj-  guard  of  3,000 
Jews  saved  Demetrius  from  a  dangerous  conspiracy, 
and  suppressed  a  turbulent  sedition  in  Antioch.  The 
conspiracy  took  its  rise  in  the  claims  of  Antiochus, 
son  of  Alexander  Balas,  who  was  supported  by  Try- 
phon,  an  officer  equally  crafty  and  ambitious.  But 
the  good  understanding  between  Demetrius  and 
Jonathan  did  not  last  long,  and  no  sooner  was  the 
support  of  his  powerful  vassal  withdrawn,  than  the 
Syrian  king  was  constrained  to  fly  and  yield  up  the 
throne  to  his  rival,  young  Antiochus.  Jonathan 
was  treated  with  great  distinction  by  the  new  sove- 
reign, Antiochus  Theos ;  he  was  confirmed  in  his 
dignity  as  High  Priest.  Simon,  his  brother,  was 
appointed  captain  general  of  all  tlie  country  from  the 
ladder  of  Tyre  to  tlie  river  of  Egypt.  The  activity 
of  Jonathan  mainly  contributed  to  the  security  of 
Antiochus.  He  gained  two  signal  victories  over  the 
armies  in  the  service  of  Demetrius,  strengthened 
many  of  the  fortresses  in  Judaea,  and  renewed  the 
treaty  with  Rome,  when  his  prosperous  career  was 
suddenly  cut  short  by  treachery.  Tryphon,  the 
officer,  who  had  raised  the  young  Antiochus  to  the 
throne,  began  to  entertain  ambitious  views  of  sup- 
planting him.  The  great  obstacles  to  his  scheme 
were  the  power  and  integrity  of  Jonathan.  With 
insidious  offers  of  peace,  he  persuaded  Jonathan  tc 


B.C.  144. J  SIMON,    HIGH    PRIESl.  63 

dismiss  a  large  army  which  he  had  assembled  to 
assist  Antiochus,  aii'i  allured  him  within  the  walls 
of  Ptolemais,  with  a  few  followers,  under  pretence 
of  surreiidcrin'^  to  him  the  town.  He  then  suddenly 
closed  the  gates,  took  Jonathan  prisoner,  and  poured 
his  troops  over  the  great  plain  of  Galilee.  The 
Jews  were  struck,  but  not  paralyzed,  with  conster- 
nation. Another  of  the  noble  raceof  M-ittathias 
remained,  and  Simon  was  immediately  invested  with 
the  command.  The  crafty  Tryphon  began  to  nego- 
tiate :  he  offered  to  yield  up  Jonathan  at  the  price  of 
100  talents  of  silver,  and  two  of  his  children,  hos- 
tages for  his  peaceable  conduct.  The  money  and 
the  hostages  were  sent,  but  the  perfidious  Tryphon 
refused  to  surrender  Jonathan.  The  two  armies 
wat('hed  each  other  for  some  time.  The  Syrians 
being  prevented  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  from  re- 
lieving their  garrison  in  the  fortress  of  Jerusalem, 
Tryphon  having  first  put  to  death  the  brave  Jona- 
than, hasted  into  Syria,  where  he  treated  the  unhappy 
Antiochus  with  the  same  treachery  and  atrocity. 
Simon  recovered  the  body  of  his  brother,  who  was 
interred  at  Modin  in  great  state ;  a  sepulchre,  with 
seven  pillars,  for  the  father,  mother,  and  five  Mac- 
cabean  brethren,  was  raised  on  an  eminence ;  a  sea- 
mark to  all  the  vessels  which  sailed  along  the  coast. 
Simon  openly  espoused  the  party  of  Demetrius 
against  Tr}^"phon,  and  received  from  that  monarch  a 
full  recognition  of  the  independence  of  his  country. 
Instead,  therefore,  of  interfering  in  foreign  affairs, 
.le  directed  his  whole  attention  to  the  consolidation 
and  internal  security  of  the  Jewish  kingdom.  He 
sent  an  ambassage,  which  was  honourably  received 
at  Rr  me,  fortified  Bethsura,  on  the  Idumean  frontier, 
and  jppa,  the  great  port  of  Judaea;  reduced  Gazara; 
and  at  length  having  made  himself  master  of  the 
'brtress  in  Jerusalem,  not  merely  dismantled  it,  but, 
with  incredible  labour,  levelled  the  hill  on  which  it 
stood,  so  that  it  no  longer  commanded  the  hill  of  the 


54  HISTORY  OP  ^»rti  JEWS.   [b.c.  139-135 

temple.     Simon  executed  the  law  with  great  impar- 
tiality and  vigour;  repaired  the  temple,  restored  the 
sacred  vessels ;  and  the  wasted  country  began,  under 
his  prudent  administration,  to  enjoy  its  ancient  fer- 
lity.     In  the  picturesque  language  of  their  older 
poets,  the  historian  says,  The  ancient  men  sat  all  in 
the  streets,  communing  together  of  the  wealth  of  the  land, 
and  the  young  men  put  on  glorious  and  warlike  ap- 
parel.    To  secure  the  alliance  of  the  Romans,  the 
great  safeguard  of  the  new  state,  he  sent  a  golden 
shield,  weighing  1,000  pounds,  to  Rome.     In   the 
mean  time,  Demetrius,  the   rightful   sovereign  of 
Syria,  had  been  taken  prisoner  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Parthians ;  and  Antiochus  Sidetes,  his 
brother,  levied  an  army  to  dispossess  the  usurper 
and  murderer,  Tryphon.     In  a  short  time  he  gained 
the  superiority  in  the  field,  and  besieged  Tryphon  in 
Dora ;  Simon  openly  espoused  his  party ;  but  Anti- 
ochus considered  his  assistance  dearly  purchased  at 
the  price  of  the  independence  of  Palestine,  and  above 
all  the  possession  of  the  important  ports  of  Gazara 
and  Joppa.     Athenobius,  his  ambassador,  sent  to 
demand  tribute  and  indenmification,  was  struck  with 
astonishment  at  the  riches  and  splendour  of  Simon's 
palace;  and  on  the  Jewish  sovereign  refusing  all 
submission,  and  only  offering  a  price  for  the  pos- 
session of  Joppa,  Antiochus  sent  his  general,  Cen- 
debus,  to  invade  the  country.     Simon,  now  grown 
old,  intrusted  the  command  of  his  forces  to  his  sons, 
Judas  and  John  Hyrcanus.     They,  havhig  defeated 
Cendebus,  and  taken  Azotus,  returned  crowned  with 
victory.     But  the  Maccabean  race  seemed  destined 
to  perish  by  violence.     Ptolemy,  son  of  Abubus,  the 
son-in-law  of  Simon,  under  a  secret  understanding 
with  Antiochus,  king  of  Syria,  formed  a  conspiracy 
to  usurp  the  sovereignty  of  Judaea.     At  a  banquet  in 
Jericho,  he  contrived  basely  to  assassinate  Simon 
and  his  elder  son;  and  at  the  same  time  endeavoured 
to  surprise  the  younger,  John,  in  Gazara.     But  John 


«.C.   135.]       HYRCAKUS,    HIGH    PRIKST.  65 

inherited  the  vigour  and  ability  of  his  family;  he 
eluded  the  danapr,  anjiear^^d  in  .Tenisalem,  and  \vh« 
unanimously  proclaimed  the  High  Priest  and  ruler 
of  the  country.  His  first  measure  was  to  march 
against  Jericho  to  evenge  the  base  murder  of  his 
father;  but  Ptolem)  had  m  his  power  the  mother  and 
brethren  of  Hyrcanus.  He  shut  himself  up  in  a 
fortress,  and  exposed  his  captives  on  the  walls, 
scourging  them,  and  threatening  to  put  them  to 
death.  The  noble-minded  woman  exhorted  her  son, 
notwithstanding  her  ow-n  danger,  to  revenge  his 
father's  murder:  but  Hyrcanus  hesitated;  the  siege 
was  protracted;  and,  at  length,  according  to  the 
improbable  reason  assigned  by  Josephus,  the  year 
being  a  sabbatic  year,  entirely  raised  the  siege. 
Ptolemy  fed  to  Philadelphia,  of  his  subsequent  fate 
we  know  nothing.  The  rapid  movements  of  Hyr- 
canus had  disconcerted  the  confederacy  between 
the  assassin  and  Antiochus.  Still,  however,  the 
Syrian  anny  overran  the  whole  country,  Hyrcanus 
was  besieged  in  Jerusalem,  where  he  was  reduced 
to  the  last  extremity  by  famine.  But  Antiochus 
proved  a  moderate  and  generous  enemy;  on  the  feast 
of  Tabernacles,  he  conceded  a  week's  truce,  fur- 
nished the  besieged  with  victims  for  sacrifice,  and 
finally  concluded  a  peace,  of  which  the  terms, 
though  hard,  were  better  than  Hyrcanus,  in  the  lo^> 
condition  to  which  he  was  reduced,  could  fairly 
expect.  The  countrj'  was  to  submit  to  vassalage 
under  the  kings  of  Syria,  tribute  was  to  be  paid  for 
Joppa  and  other  towns  held  by  grants  from  the  pre- 
decessors of  Antiochus,  and  Jerusalem  was  dis- 
mantled. Four  years  after,  John  Hyrcanus  \yas 
summoned  to  attend  his  liege  lord  on  an  expedition 
into  Parthia,  under  the  pretence  of  delivering  Deme- 
trius Nicator,  brother  of  the  king,  fonnerly  possessor 
of  the  crown,  and  long  a  captive  in  Parthia.  Hyr- 
anus  returned  before  the  defeat,  which  lost  Anti- 
us  his  throne  and  life.     Demetrius  escaped  and 


66  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.   130 

renovered  the  throne  of  Anl'ioeh.  But  Hj^rcamis- 
seized  the  opportuuitj'  of  throvviiia-  off  the  yoke  o* 
Syria,  and  the  Jewish  kingdom  rcassumed  its  inde- 
pendence, which  it  maintained,  until  it  iVli  under  tlie 
Roman  dominion.  The  Sj'rian  king-dom  heina;  dis- 
tracted by  rival  competitors  for  the  throne,  the  pru- 
dent and  enterprising  Hyrcanus  lost  no  opportunity 
of  extending  his  territory  and  increasing  his  power. 
He  took  Samega  and  Medaba,  in  the  Transjordanic 
region.  But  his  greatest  triumph,  that  which  raised 
him  the  highest  in  the  opinion  of  his  zealous  coun- 
trymen, was  the  capture  of  Sichem,  and  the  total 
destruction  of  the  rival  temple  on  Gerizim.  It  was 
levelled  to  the  earth,  not  a  vestige  remained.  For 
two  hundred  years  this  hated  edifice  had  shocked 
the  sight  of  the  pious  pilgrim  to  .lerusalem;  now 
the  temple  of  Jerusalem  resumed  its  dignity  as  the 
only  sanctuary  where  the  God  of  their  fathers  was 
worshipped,  at  least  within  the  region  of  Palestine. 
The  Samaritan  temple  had  always  seemed  a  usur- 
pation upon  the  peculiar  property  of  the  Jewish 
people  in  the  universal  Deity ;  now  they  were  again 
undisputed  possessors,  as  of  the  Divine  presence, 
so  they  conceived  of  the  Divine  protection.  Yet, 
at  a  more  remote  distance,  another  temple  had 
arisen,  which  excited  great  jealousy  in  the  more 
rigid.  This  was  in  Egypt,  where  in  fact  another 
nation  of  Jews  had  gradually  grown  up.  On  the 
capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  a  great 
number  of  Jews,  under  Gedaliah,  fled  to  Egypt. 
Alexander  is  reported  to  have  encouraged  their  set- 
tlement in  his  new  city  of  Alexandria  by  privileges 
which  put  them  on  the  same  footing  with  the  Mace- 
donians. Ptolemy,  founder  of  the  Egy])to-Grecian 
kingdom,  transported  from  Judaea  30,000  families. 
Bome  he  settled  in  Gyrene,  most  in  Alexandria. 
During  the  oppressions  of  the  Syrian  kings,  many, 
envying  the  peaceful  and  prosperous  state  of  their 
orethren  in  Egypt,  abandoned  Judaea  and  took  refuge 


B.C     149.  I  ALEXANDRIAN    JEWS.  57 

ander  the  protection  of  the  Ptolemies,  who,  either  as 
nseful  subjects;,  or  never  entn-ely  abandoning  their 
ambitious  views  on  Palestine,  uniformly  endeavoured 
to  secure  the  attachment  of  the  Jews.  Under  the 
.eign  of  Ptolemy  Philometor,  as  has  been  stated, 
Onias,  (son  of  that  Onias  who  was  murdered  by 
Menelaus)  tlie  rightful  heir  of  the  high  priesthood, 
fled  into  Egypt.  He  rose  high  in  favour  with  the 
king  and  his  queen,  Cleopatra ;  and,  being  thus  de- 
prived of  his  riglitful  inheritance,  he  conceived  the 
design  of  buihhng  a  temple  for  the  use  of  the  Egyp- 
tian Jews.  The  king  entered  into  his  views, 
whether  to  advance  his  popularity  with  his  Jewish 
subjects,  or  to  prevent  the  wealth,  which  as  tribute 
or  offering  to  the  temple,  flowed  out  of  his  dominions 
to  Jerusalem.  He  granted  to  Onias  a  rained  temple 
in  Leontopolis,  in  the  Heliopolitan  nome,  and  a  tract 
of  land  for  the  maintenance  of  the  worship.  Both 
temple  and  domain  remained  unviolated  till  the  reign 
of  Vespasian.  Onias  reconciled  his  countrymen  to 
this  bold  innovation  by  a  text  in  Isaiah  (xix.  18,  19). 
In  this  passage  it  is  predicted  that  there  should  be  an 
altar  to  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt; 
according  to  the  interpretation  of  Onias,  the  very 
place  M'as  designated.  That  which  in  our  trans- 
lation appears  as  "the  city  of  destruction,"  was 
interpreted,  perhaps  not  inaccurately,  the  City  of  the 
Sim  (Heliopolis).  Thus  then  the  .Tews  of  Alexan- 
dria had  divine  authority  for  their  temple,  and 
unquestionably  the  legit. mate  High  Priest  as  their 
officiating  minister.  The  Aramean  Jews  looked  on 
their  Egyptian  brethren  with  assumed  contempt,  but 
inward  jealousy;  perhaps  the  distance  only  pre- 
vented a  feud,  almost  as  deadly  as  that  with  the 
Samaritans.  Alexandria  being  the  retreat  of  Gre- 
cian learning,  tlie  Jews  turned  their  attention  to  lite- 
rature, and  even  to  philosophy.  But  in  some 
respects  they  were  in  an  unfortunate  situation,  with 
great  temptations  and  great  facilities  to  substitute 


66  flISTORT    OF    THE   JEWS.  [b.C.  149 

fiction  for  truth.  They  were  pressed  on  all  sides, 
by  Egyptians,  by  Greeks,  and  by  the  Aramean  Jew. 
The  former  denied  their  antiquity  as  a  nation,  and 
reproached  them  with  the  servitude  and  base  con- 
i]ition  of  their  ancestors  in  Egypt,  which  they 
grossly  exaggerated;  the  Greeks  treated  their 
national  literature  with  contempt;  the  rigid  Jews 
could  not  forgive  their  adoption  of  the  Greek  lan- 
guage and  study  of  Greek  letters.  The  strange 
legend  about  the  origin  of  their  version  of  the  Scrip 
tures,  commonly  called  the  Septuagint,  evidently 
originated  in  their  desire  to  gain  a  miraculous  sanc- 
tion for  their  sacred  books,  and  thus  put  them  in 
some  degree  on  the  same  footing  with  the  originaJ 
Hebrew  Scriptures.  This  work,  which  probably 
was  executed  at  different  periods,  by  writers  of 
various  abilities  and  different  style,  was  reported  by 
a  certain  Aristeas  to  have  been  the  work  of  seventy- 
two  translators,  deputed  by  the  grand  Sanhedrin,  at 
the  desire  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  who  were  shut 
up  in  separate  cells,  and  each  rendered  the  whole 
work,  word  for  word,  in  the  same  language.  The 
romantic  history  of  the  persecution  of  the  Alexan- 
drian Jews,  someiunes  called  the  third  book  of  the 
Maccabees,  was  apparently  compiled  with  a  similar 
design,  to  show  that  they  had  been  exposed,  on 
account  of  their  religion,  to  equal  barbarities  with 
their  brethren,  endured  them  with  equal  courage,  and 
were  delivered  in  a  manner  equally  miraculous. 
Ptolemy  Philopator  (or  Ptolemy  Physcon)  for  it  is 
not  easy  to  fix  a  period  for  the  legend,  had  deter- 
mined on  the  extermination  of  the  Jews,  unless  they 
would  apostatize  from  their  religion.  Only  300  con- 
sented to  this  base  compliance,  the  rest  vere  shut 
up  in  the  Hippodrome  to  be  destroyed  bj  /Elephants. 
The  king  being  engaged  in  a  drunken  revel,  the 
Jews  remained  a  whole  day  expecting,  /et  boldlj 
determined  to  endure,  their  miserable  faie.  WheD 
the  elephants  were  let  loose,  thev  refused  to  2.sssJ 


B.C.  109.]       HYRCANrs    INVADES    SAMARIA.  69 

the  Jews,  but  turned  all  their  fury  on  the  spectators, 
on  whom  they  conimitfed  fricrl^tful  ravagfs.  We 
have  mentioned  these  fads  as  illustrating  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Alexandri-an  Jews;  we  pass  unwillingly 
over  their  controversies  with  the  Egyptians  and  the 
Greeks,  and  the  curious  ur.xon  of  Grecian  philosophy 
with  the  Jewish  religion,  which  prevailed  in  their 
schools,  as  these  subjects  belong  rather  to  the  his- 
tory of  Jewish  literature  than  that  of  the  Jewish 
people.  The  Alexandrian  Jews  mingled  in  all  the 
transactions,  and  attained  the  highest  honours  of  the 
state.  Onias,  who  built  the  temple  during  the  pon- 
tificate of  Jonathan,  filled  the  most  eminent  offices 
in  tlie  state  and  in  the  army;  and  at  a  later  period  we 
shall  find  Chelcias  and  Ananias,  two  Jews,  com- 
manding the  armies  of  Cleopatra. 

"WTiile  Egypt  and  Syria  were  desolated  by  the 
crimes  and  the  contentions  of  successive  pretenders 
to  their  thrones,  the  state  of  Judaea  enjoyed  pro- 
found peace  under  the  vigorous  administration  of 
Hyrcanus.  Having  destroyed  Sichem,  he  next 
turned  his  forces  against  Idumea,  subjugated  the 
country,  compelled  the  ancient  rivals  of  his  subjects 
to  submit  to  circumcision,  and  to  adopt  the  Jewish 
religion:  and  so  completely  incorporated  the  two 
nations,  that  the  name  of  Idumea  appears  no  more 
in  history.  Hyrcanus  maintained  a  strict  alliance 
with  the  Romans,  and  renewed  a  treaty,  oflfensive 
and  defensive,  against  their  common  enemies.  In 
the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  reign  he  determined 
to  reduce  the  province  and  city  of  Samaria  to  his 
authority.  He  intrusted  the  command  of  his  army 
to  his  sons,  Aristobulus  and  Antigonus.  The 
Samaritans  implored  the  protection  of  Antiochus 
Cyzicenus,  then  king  of  Damascus,  who  marched 
to  their  relief,  but  suffeied  a  total  defeat  by  the 
brothers.  In  conjunction  with  6000  Egj^ptian  allien 
Antiochus  made  a  second  attempt  to  rescue  this 
province  from  the  power  of  the  Jews,  but  with  no 


60  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  108. 

better  success.     Samaria  fell  after  an  obstinate  re- 
sistance of  a  whole  year;  one  of  the  Syrian  gene- 
rals betrayed  Scyth'opolis  and  other  towns  to  the 
Jews,  and  thus  Hyrcanus  became  master  of  all  Sa- 
maria and  Galilee.     The  city  of  Samaria  was  razed, 
trenches  dug,  (the  hill  on  which  it  stood  being  full 
of  springs,)  and  the  whole  site  of  the  detested  city 
flooded  and  made  a  pool  of  water.     But  though  thus 
triumphant   abroad,  Hyrcanus,  at    the  end  of  his 
reign,  was  troubled  by  serious  dissensions  at  home. 
Two  great  religious  and  political  factions  divided 
the  state— those  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 
No  part  of  Jewish  history  is  more  obscure  than  the 
origin  and  growth  of  these  two  parties.     The  Mac- 
cabees had  greatly  owed  their  success  to  the  Cha- 
sidim,  or  righteous.     The  zeal,  and  even  the  fana- 
ticism of  this  party,  had  been  admirable  qualities  in 
the  hour  of  trial  and  exertion.     Austerity  is  a  good 
discipline  for  the  privations  and  hardships  of  war. 
Undaunted  courage,  daring  enterprise,  contempt  of 
death,  fortitude  in  suffering,  arose  directly  out  of  the 
leading  religious  principles  of  this  party — the  as- 
surance of  Divine  protection,  and  the  certainty  of 
another  life.     Their  faitii,  if  it  led  them  to  believe 
too  much,  and  induced  them  to  rc^ceive  the  traditions 
of   their   fathers,  as  of   equal  authority  with   the 
written  law  and  authentic  history,  made  them  be- 
lieve only  with  the  stronger  fervour  and  sincerity 
all  the  wonders  and  glories  of  their  early  annals ; 
wonders  and  glories  which  they  trusted  the  same 
Power,  in  whose  cause,  and  under  whose  sanction 
they  fought,  would  renew  in  their  persons.     Even 
their  behef  in  angels,  celestial,  unseen  beings,  who 
ever  environed  them,  to  assist  their  arms  and  dis- 
comfit their  enemies,  contributed  to  their  confidence 
and  resolution.     In  this  great  conflict  the  hero  and 
the  religious  enthusiast  were  one  and   the   same. 
But  those  qualities  and  principles,  which  made  tliem 
such  valiant  and  active  soldiers  in  war,  when  the 


B.C.  108  ]     PHARISEES  AND  SADDUCEES.  6\ 

prde  of  success,  and  conscious  possession  of  power 
were  added,  tended  to  make  them  turbulent,  in- 
tractable, and  domineering-  subjects  in  peace.  Those 
who  are  most  forward  in  asserting-  their  liberty  do 
n<n  always  know  liow  to  enjoy  it,  still  less  how  to 
concede  it  to  others.  Their  zeal  turned  into  another 
channel — the  maintenance  and  propagation  of  their 
religious  opinions— and  flowed  as  fiercely  and  vio- 
lently as  before.  Themselves  austere,  they  despised 
all  who  did  not  practice  the  same  austerities ;  earnest 
in  their  belief,  not  only  in  the  law,  but  every  tradi- 
tional observance,  they  branded  as  free-thinkers  all 
whose  creed  was  of  greater  latitude  than  their  own ; 
and  considered  it  their  duty  to  enforce  the  same 
rigid  attention,  not  merely  to  every  letter  of  the  law, 
but  likewise  to  all  their  own  peculiar  observances, 
which  they  themselves  regarded  as  nef'essarjs  and 
most  scrupulously  performed.  In  every  thing  as 
they  were  the  only  faithful  servants,  so  they  were 
the  delegates  and  interpreters  of  God.  As  God  had 
conquered  by  them,  so  he  ruled  by  them ;  and  all 
their  opponents  were  the  enemies  of  the  national 
constitution,  the  national  religion,  and  the  national 
Deity.  Thus  the  generous  and  self-devoted  Assi- 
deans,  or  Chasidim,  degenerated  into  the  haughty, 
tyrannical,  and  censorious  Pharisees,  the  Separatists 
of  the  Jewish  religion,  from  Pharez,  the  Hebrew 
word  for  to  separate,  or  stand  aloof.  The  better 
order  among  the  opponents  of  the  Pharisees  were 
the  Karaites,  strict  adherents  to  the  letter  of  the 
law,  but  decidedly  rejecting  all  traditions ;  the  great 
strength  of  the  party  consisted,  however,  of  the 
Sadducees.  1  he  religious  doctrines  of  the  Saddu- 
cees,  it  is  well  known,  were  directly  opposite  tr» 
those  of  the  Pharisees.  The  Pharisees  were  mode- 
rate Predestinarians :  the  Sadducees  asserted  Free 
will.  Tlie  Pharisees  believed  in  tlie  immortality  of 
the  soul  and  the  existence  of  angels,  thougn  their 
creed  on  both  these   subjects  was  strongly  tinged 


^2  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  108. 

with  Orientalism.       The  Sadducees   denied  both 
The  Pharisees  received  not  merely  the  Prophets, 
but  the  traditional  law  likewise,  as  of  equal  autho- 
rity with  the  books?  of  Moses.     The  Sadducees,  if 
they  did  not  reject,  considered  the  Prophets  ^eatly 
inferior  to  the  law.     The  Sadducees  are  said  to 
have  derived  tiieir  doctrine  from  Sadoc,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Antig-onus  Socho  in  the  presidency  of  the 
great  Sanhedrin.     Antigonus  taught  the  lofty  doc- 
trine of  {Hire  and  disinterested  love  and  obedience 
to  God,  without  reo^ard  to  punishment  or  reward. 
Sadoc  is  said  to  have  denied  the  latter,  without 
maintaining  the  higher  doctrine  on  which  it  was 
founded.     Still  the  Sadducees  were  far  from  what 
they  are  sometimes  represented,  the  teachers  of  a 
loose  and  indulgent  Epicureanism ;  they  inculcated 
the  belief  in  Divine  Providence,  and  the  just  and 
certain  administration  of  temporal  rewards  and  pun- 
ishments.    The  Pharisees  had  the  multitude,  ever 
led  away  by  extravagant  religious  pretensions,  en- 
tirely at  their  disposal :  Sadduceism  spread  chiefly 
among  the  higher  orders.     It  would  be  unjust  to  the 
Sadducees  to  confound  them  with  that  unpatriotic 
and  Hellenized  party,  which,  during  the  whole  of 
the  noble  struggles  of  the  Maccabees,  sided  with  the 
Syrian  oppressors,  for    these    are    denounced  as 
avowed  apostates   from    .Judaism:    yet   probably, 
after  the  establishment  of  the  independent  govern- 
ment, the  latter  might  make  common  cause,  and 
become  gradually  mingled  up  with  the  Sadducean 
party,  as   exposed   alike  to  the  severities  of  the 
Pharisaic  administration.     During  .he  rest  of  the 
Jewish  history  we  shall  find  these  parties  as  vio- 
lently opposed  to  each  other,  and  sometimes  causing 
a;-  fierce  and  dangerous  dissensions,  as  these  which 
rent  the  commonvvealths  of  Grpe^e  and   Rome,  or 
the  republican  states  of  modern  Europe.     It  was  at 
the  close  of  his  reign  that  Hyrcanus  broke  with  the 
Pharisaic   party,  and  openlv  joined  the  opposite 


K.C.     08. J        ARISTOBrLtJS  TKj:  fiest.  63 

faction :  a  measure,  of  which  the  disastrous  con- 
sequences were  not  entirely  felt  till  the  reign  of  his 
son  Alexander.  The  cause  of  this  rupture  is  sin 
gularly  characteristic  of  Jewish  manners.  During 
a  banquet,  at  which  the  chief  of  the  ruling  sect  were 
present,  Hyrcanus  demanded  their  judgment  on  his 
general  conduct  and  administration  of  affairs,  which 
he  professed  to  have  regulated  by  the  great  princi- 
ples of  justice,  and  strict  adherence  to  the  tenets  of 
their  sect.  The  Pharisees,  with  general  acclama- 
tion, testified  their  approval  of  all  his  proceedings ; 
— one  voice  alone,  that  of  Eleazar,  interrupted  the 
general  harmony.  "  If  you  are  a  just  man,  abandon 
the  High  priesthood,  for  which  you  are  disqualified 
by  the  illegitimacy  of  your  birth."  The  mother  of 
Hyrcanus  had  formerly,  it  was  said,  though,  accord- 
ing to  Josephus,  i'alsely,  been  taken  captive,  and 
thus  exposed  to  the  polluting  embraces  of  a  heathen 
master.  The  indignant  Hyrcanus  demanded  the 
trial  of  Eleazar  for  defamation.  By  the  influence 
of  the  Pharisees  he  was  shielded,  and  escaped  with 
scourging  and  imprisonment.  Hyrcanus,  enraged 
at  this  unexpected  hostility,  listened  to  the  repre- 
sentations of  Jonathan,  a  Sadducee,  who  accused 
the  rival  faction  of  a  conspiracy  to  overawe  the 
sovereign  power;  and  from  that  time  ho  entirely 
alienated  himself  from  their  councils.  This  able 
prince  reigned  for  twenty-nine  years :  he  built  the 
castle  of  Baris  on  a  rock  within  the  fortifications 
which  surrounded  the  hill  of  the  temple,  on  the 
north-west  corner  of  which  it  stood.  It  afterward 
became  the  Antonia  of  Herod. 

Aristobulus,  the  son  of  Hyrcanus,  succeeded:  his 
reign,  though  brief,  was  long  enough  for  much  crime, 
and  much  misery.  His  mother,  by  the  will  of  Hyr- 
tanus,  claimed  the  sovereignty ;  he  threw  her  into 
a  dungeon,  and  starved  her  to  death.  The  fate  of 
his  brother,  Antigonus,  will  immediately  appear: 
the  other  three  of  his  brethren  were  kept  in  close 


b4  HISTORY    OP    THE    JEWS.  [b.C.   107 

imprisonment.  Soon  after  assuming  the  diadem, 
the  new  king  made  a  successful  expedition,  and 
subdued  Iturea,  a  district  at  the  foot  of  Anti-Liba- 
nus,  afterward  called  Auranitis.  He  returned,  suf- 
fering under  a  dangerous  malady.  His  brother, 
Antigonus,  as  he  entered  Jerusalem,  having  com- 
pleted the  conquest,  hastened,  all  armed  as  he  was, 
with  his  soldiers,  to  pay  his  devotions  in  the  temple. 
This  innocent  act  was  misrepresented  by  the  queen 
and  the  harem  of  Aristobulus  as  covering  a  treache- 
rous design.  Aristobulus  sent  to  command  his 
brother  to  attend  him  unarmed.  His  treacherous 
enemies,  instead  of  this  message,  delivered  one 
commanding  him  to  come  with  some  very  splendid 
armour,  which  his  brother  wished  to  see.  The  guards 
were  posted;  and  Antigonus,  appearing  in  arms, 
was  assassinated  in  the  subterranean  gallery  which 
led  from  the  temple  to  the  palace  of  Baris.  Aris- 
tobulus, seized  with  agonizing  compunction  for  his 
crime,  vomited  blood.  The  slave,  who  bore  the 
vessel  away,  happened  to  stumble  on  the  very  spot 
where  Antigonus  had  been  slain,  and  the  blood  of 
(he  two  brothers  mingled  on  the  pavement.  A  cry 
of  horror  ran  through  the  palace.  The  king,  having 
extorted  from  the  reluctant  attendants  the  dreadful 
cause,  was  seized  with  such  an  agony  of  remorse 
and  horror,  that  he  expired. 

Alexander  Jannseus,  the  next  in  succession, 
assumed  the  throne ;  a  feeble  attempt  was  made  by 
his  younger  brother  to  usurp  his  place,  but  he  was 
seized  and  put  to  death.  Alexander  was  an  enter- 
prising rather  than  a  successful  prince ;  and  it  was 
perhaps  fortunate  for  the  kingdom  of  Judaea  that 
tlie  adjacent  states  were  weakened  by  dissension 
and  mutual  hostility.  Egypt  was  governed  by 
Cleopatra,  widow  of  Ptolemy  Physcon;  Cyprus 
by  Ptolemy  Lathyrus,  her  eldest  son,  and  most 
deadly  enemy.  The  Syrian  monarchy  was  shared 
by  Antiochus  Grypus  and  Antiochus  Cyzicenus :  one 


B.C.  106.]  ALEXANDER  JANN-EtTS.  6A 

held  his  court  at  Antioch,  the  other  at  Damascus. 
The  Jews  possosspd  the  whole  retrion  of  Palestine, 
except  the  noble  port  of  Ptolemais ;  Dora  and  the 
tower  of  Straton  were  in  the  hands  of  Zoilus,  who 
owned  a  sort  of  allegiance  to  Syria.  Gaza  waa 
likewise  independent  of  the  Jewish  government. 
The  first  object  of  Alexander  was  to  reduce  all  tli.'se 
cities.  He  formed  the  siege  of  Ptolemais.  The 
inhabitants  sent  to  demand  relief  from  Ptolemy 
Lathyrus,  but  after  the  Cvprian  king  had  levied  an 
army  of  30,000  men,  dreading  the  loss  of  their  inde- 
pendence, they  refused  to  admit  him  into  their  gates. 
Ptolemy  turned  on  tlie  dominions  of  Zoilus,  and  on 
Gaza.  Alexander  entered  into  negotiations  with 
Ptolemy  for  the  friendly  surrender  of  those  places, 
and  at  the  same  time  with  Cleopatra  for  a  large  force 
to  expel  the  king  of  Cyprus  from  Palestine.  Pto- 
lemy, detecting  the  double  intrigue,  marched  into 
Judaea,  took  Asochis  near  the  Jordan  on  the  Sab- 
bath, ravaged  the  country,  and  (by  the  assistance  of 
an  expert  tactician,  Philostephanus)  totally  defeated 
Alexander,  with  the  loss  of  30,000  men,  pursued  his 
ravages,  and,  to  spread  the  terror  of  his  name,  is 
said  to  have  practised  most  abominable  cruelties. 
Having  surprised  a  village  full  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, he  ordered  them  to  be  hewn  in  pieces,  and  cast 
into  caldrons,  as  if  to  be  boiled;  so  that  the  horror 
of  this  invasion  of  cannibals  spread  througliout  the 
whole  country.  The  kingdom  of  Judaea  was  lost, 
but  for  a  great  army  of  Egyptians  under  the  com- 
mand  of  Chelcias  and  Ananias,  two  Alexandrian 
Jews.  Lathyms  retreated  into  Coele-Syria  :  part  ol 
Cleopatra's  army  pursued  him,  part  formed  the  siege 
of  Ptolemais.  Lathyrus  determined  on  the  bold 
measure  of  marching  into  Egypt :  he  was  repelled, 
and  retreated  to  Gaza.  Ptolemais  fell :  and  Alexan- 
der came  to  congratulate  the  Queen  of  Egypt  on 
her  victory.  Cleopatra  was  strongly  urged  to  seize 
the  prince,  aiul  tlms  make  herself  mistress  of 
If— F 


65  HISTOnY    OF    THE    JEWS.  [e.C.  ^5. 

JudiEa:   the  remonstrances  of  Ananias  dissuaded 
her  from  this  breach  of  faith.     The  Cypriot  and 
Egyptian  armies  being  withdrawn,  Alexander  re- 
sumed his  sovereignty;  but  his  restless  disposition 
mvolved  him  in  new  wars,  with  no  better  success. 
He  invaded  the  country  east  of  the  Jordan,  took 
Gadara,  but  was  totally  defeated  before  Amathus 
which  he  had  plundered  of  the  treasures  of  Theodo- 
rus,   prince   of   Philadelphia.       The    indefatigable 
monarch  next  fell  upon  the  territory  of  Gaza,  took 
Raphia  and  Anthedon,  and,  although  constrained  to 
raise  the  siege  of  Gaza  by  a  descent  of  Lathyrus, 
he  formed  it  again  the  next  year.     Gaza  made  an  ob- 
stinate resistance.     At  one  time  the  besieger  had 
nearly  lost  his  whole  army  by  a  desperate  sally,  bu» 
at  length  the  commander  of  the  garrison,  ApoUodo- 
tus,  having  been  slain  by  treachery,  it  surrendered. 
Alexander  at  first  seemed  inclined  to  mercy,  but, 
before  long,  let  loose  his  troops  to  revenge  them- 
selves on  the  town.     The  inhabitants  took  up  arms ; 
but,  after  a  considerable  loss,  the  conqueror  suc- 
ceeded  in  totally  dismantling  and  destroying  this 
ancient  city,  and  left  it  a  heap  of  ruins.     But  the 
most  dangerous  enemies  of  Alexander  were  at  home. 
The   Pharisaic  faction  had  the  populace  at  their 
command;  and  at  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  while 
he  was  officiating  as  the  king  and  High  Priest,  a 
mutiny  arose ;  the  mob  pelted  him  with  citrons,  re- 
proaciied  him  with  the  baseness  of  his  descent,  and 
denied  his  right  to  the  priesthood.     Alexander  com- 
manded his  troops  to  fall  on  the  unarmed  multitude, 
and  slew  6000.     To  prevent  these  insults  in  future, 
Alexander  raised  a  wooden  partition  between  the 
court  of  the  priests  and  that  of  the  people ;  and,  to 
awe  the  insurgents,  raised  a  body  guard  of  foreign 
mercenaries,  chiefly  Pisidians   and  Oilicians.     He 
then,  a  second  time,  invaded   the  country  east  of 
Jordan,  reduced  it  to  pay  tribute,  took  Amathus,  but 
again  suffered  a  total  defeat  by  Orodes,  kinsr  ">< 


i.e.  86.]  DEATH  OP  ALEXANDER  67 

Arabia.  The  Jews  seized  the  opportunity  to  rise 
in  rebellion,  and  for  six  years  the  country  suffered 
all  the  horrors  of  civil  war.  Alexander  at  first  met 
with  great  success ;  but  when  he  endeavoured  to 
bring  the  mutineers  to  terms,  they  cried  out  with 
one  voice,  that  they  would  yield  only  on  one  condi- 
tion, that  he  would  put  himself  to  death.  At  length, 
pressed  on  all  sides,  the  insurgents  demanded  the 
assistance  of  Demetrius  Euchserus,  one  of  the  kings 
of  Syria.  Alexander,  always  unfortunate  in  battle, 
was  routed,  with  the  loss  of  all  his  6000  mercena- 
ries, and  many  other  of  his  troops.  He  fled  to  the 
mountains ;  but  a  sudden  revulsion  of  popidar  feel- 
ing took  place  in  his  favour,  and  he  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  60,000  men.  Demetrius  retreated,  and 
Alexander,  master  of  the  whole  country,  besieged 
his  enemies  in  Bethome,  took  the  city,  and  marched 
to  Jerusalem  in  triumph.  His  vengeance  was  signal 
and  terrible.  He  publicly  crucified  800,  and  slew 
their  wives  and  children  before  their  faces.  From 
this  atrocity  he  was  named  the  Thracian.  Of  the 
disaffected,  8000  abandoned  the  city ;  but,  under  his 
iron  sway,  the  whole  country  remained  at  peace 
during  the  rest  of  his  reign.  His  foreign  policy  at 
this  period  was  equally  vigorous,  and  the  kingdom 
of  the  Jews  at  his  death  comprehended  the  coast 
from  the  tower  of  Straton  to  Rhinocorura,  Idumea, 
Samaria,  and  considerable  provinces  to  the  east  of 
the  Jordan.  On  the  fourth  year,  after  his  triumph 
over  the  insurgents,  Alexan<ler  Jannaeus  was  seized 
with  a  mortal  malady ;  a  turbulent  and  rebellious 
kingdom,  and  newly-conquered  provinces,  were  not 
likely  to  submit  to  the  feeble  authority  of  women 
and  children.  The  dying  king  summoned  his  wife 
Alexandra,  and  strongly  urged,  as  the  only  means  of 
Dreserving  the  kingdom,  that  on  his  death  she  should 
throw  herself  into  the  arms  of  the  Pharisaic  party, 

fiowerful  on  account  of  their  numbers  and  turbu- 
ence,  and  still  more  frnm  having  the  people  entirely 


68  fiiRTORt  OF  THE  JEWS.  (b.C.  77. 

under  their  direction.  Thus,  after  an  unquiet  and 
eventful  reign  of  twenty-seven  years,  Alexander 
Jannaeus  died.  His  widow  Alexandra  immediately 
ladopted  the  policy  which  he  had  suggested,  and 
threw  the  administration  into  the  hands  of  the 
Pharisees.  The  change  was  immediate ;  the  great- 
est honours  were  paid  to  the  remains  of  the  unpopu- 
lar Jaunaeus,  and  the  high  priesthood  conferred  on 
his  eldest  son,  Hyrcanus  II. 

During  the  whole  reign  of  Alexandra,  the  wisdom, 
or  rather  the  imperious  necessity  of  her  husband's 
dying  admonition,  became  more  manifest;  the  throne 
stood  secure,  the  whole  land,  says  Josephus,  was  at 
rest,  except  the  Pharisees,  who  began  to  execute 
dreadful  reprisals  upon  their  former  adversaries. 
Having  strengthened  their  party  by  a  general  release 
of  prisoners  and  recall  of  exiles,  they  began  their 
attack  on  Diogenes,  a  favourite  of  the  late  king. 
They  next  demanded  public  justice  on  all  who  had 
been  accessory  to  the  execution  of  the  800  who  were 
crucified.     Alexandra,  unable  to  resist,  was  com- 
pelled to  submit ;  but  lier  second  son,  Aristobulus,  a 
man  of  daring  ambition  and  intrigue,  seized  the  op- 
portunity of  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the  party, 
which,  though  now  oppressed,  was  still  powerful 
They  appealed  to  the  justice,  as  well  as  to  the  mercy 
of  the  queen,  and  remonstrated  on  the  ingratitude 
of  abandoning  the  faithful  adherents  of  her  husband 
to  the  vengeance  of  their  enemies.     She  adopted  a 
measure,  intended  to  secure  them,  without  offending 
the  Pharisees ;  they  were  allowed  to  leave  Jerusa- 
lem, and  were  enrolled  as  the  garrisons  of  the  fron- 
tier cities.     To  employ  the  restless  mind  of  her  son 
Aristobulus,  she  sent  him,  with  a  considerable  army, 
under  the  pretence  of  checking  the  depredations  of 
Ptolemy,  who  ruled  a  small  independent  kini^dom  at 
Chalcis,  but  with  tlie  secret  design  of  seizhig  Da- 
mascus.    Aristobulus  succeeded  both  in  the  object 
contemplated  bv  his  mother  and  in  his  own;  he  got 


B.C.  70.]  flYRCANfS  THE  SECOND.  69 

possession  of  Damascus,  and  strongly  attached  the 
armv  to  his  perpon.     After  a  prot-perous  reign  of 
nine  years,  Alexandra  fell  sick  and  died ;  a  woman 
of  a  masculine  understanding  and  energy  of  charac- 
ter.    Before  her  decease  Aristobulus  secretly  fled 
from  Jerusalem,  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army, 
summoned  all  the  frontier  garrisons,  which  were 
composed  of  his  own  party,  to  his  assistance,  and 
immediately,  upon  tlie  death  of  his  mother,  advanced 
rapidly  towards  Jerusalem.     The  Pharisaic  party, 
with  Hyrcanus  at  their  head,  seized  as  hostages  the 
wife  and  children  of  Aristobulus,  and  hastily  raising 
their  forces,  met  the  invader  at  Jericho.     But  the 
affections  of  the  army  were  centred  in  the  bold  and 
enterprising  Aristobulus ;  a  great  part  deserted,  the 
rest  were  discomfited,  the  younger  brother  entered 
Jerusalem,  the  elder  was  besieged  in  the  palace  ol 
Baris  ;  till  at  length  the  mild  and  indolent  Hyrcanus 
consented  to  yield  up  the   sovereignty,  and  retire, 
perhaps  to  the  happier  station,  of  a  private  man. 
The  blow  was  fatal  to  the  Pharisaic  party.     But  an 
enemy  remained,  whose   descendants  were  to  be 
more  dangerous  opponents  to  the  Asmonean  house 
even  than"  the  Pharisees.     Antipater,  the  father  of 
Herod,  an  Idumean  of  noble  birth,  was  the  son  of 
Antipas,  who  had  been  governor  of  that  province 
under  Alexander  Jannaeus.     Antipater  had  acquired 
great  influence  over  the  feeble  mind  of  Hyrcanus, 
as  hib  chief  minister.     He  had  every  prospect  of 
enjoying  all  but  the  name  of  a  sovereign.     He  ill 
brooked  the  annihilation  of  his  ambitious  hopes  by 
the  conquest  of  Aristobulus.     At  length,  after  long 
working  on  the  fears  of  Hyrcanus,  as  if  his  life  were 
in  danger,  he  persuaded  him  to  fly  to  Aretas,  the 
King  of  Arabia.     This  kingdom  had  silently  grown 
up  to  considerable  power;  Petva,  its  capital,  had 
become  the  great  emporium  ofthe  commerce  through 
the  Red  Sea  and  Persian  Gulf.     Aretas  marched  a 
^ost  of  50,000  men  against  Aristobulus ;  the  capri- 


70  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS.  [b.O.  65 

cious  army  of  the  Jews  wavered;  Aristobulus  suf- 
fered a  defeat,  and  fled  to  Jerusalem.  There, 
abandoned  likewise  by  the  people,  he  shut  himself 
up  in  the  temple,  where  the  priests  prepared  for 
defence.  He  was  vigorously  pressed  by  Aretas, 
Antipater,  and  Hyrcanus.  During  this  siege  two 
characteristic  circumstances  took  place.  An  olj 
man,  named  Onias,  had  the  fame  of  having  prayec^ 
for  rain  during  a  drought,  and  rain  had  immediately 
fallen.  The  party  of  Hyrcanus  brought  him  out  to 
employ  his  powerful  prayers  against  Aristobulus. 
The  patriotic  old  man  knelt  down,  and  uttered  these 
words  : — "  O  God,  the  King  of  the  Universe,  since 
on  one  side  are  thy  people,  on  the  other  thy  priests, 
I  beseech  thee  hear  not  the  prayers  of  either  to  thf 
detriment  of  the  other."  The  cruel  and  infatuat  'd 
populace  stoned  him  to  death.  The  second  occar- 
rence  was  as  follows.  The  Passover  drew  nenr, 
and  there  were  no  victims  in  the  temple  for  sacrifice. 
The  besieged  entered  into  an  agreement  that,  on 
payment  of  a  certain  price,  lambs  should  be  fur- 
nished for  the  great  national  offering.  They  let 
baskets  down  the  walls,  but  the  perfidious  besiegers 
took  the  money,  and  sent  up  the  baskets  empty,  or, 
as  the  Rabbins  relate  with  the  deepest  horror,  loaded 
with  swine. 

An  unexpected  deliverer  at  length  appeared;  a 
military  officer  of  that  haughty  republic  which  had 
been  steadily  pursuing  its  way  to  universal  domi- 
nion; and  now,  having  trampled  under  foot  the 
pride  and  strength  of  the  great  Asiatic  monarchieh, 
assumed  a  right  of  interfering  in  the  affairs  of  every 
independent  kingdom.  Scaurus,  the  lieutenant  of 
Pompey,  had  seized  Damascus;  the  competitors 
for  the  Jewish  throne  endeavoured  to  outbid  each 
other  for  his  protection.  Aristobulus  offered  400 
talents — Hyrcanus  the  same.  The  rapacious  Roman 
hesitated;  but  Aristobulus  was  in  possession  of  the 
public  treasuies  of  the  temple,  and  therefore  most 


B.C    64.  j  POMPEY  IN  SYRIA.  71 

.ikely  to  make  good  his  terms.  Scaurus  sent  an 
order  to  Aretas  to  break  up  the  siesio:  the  Arabimi 
complied.  The  enterprising'  Aristobulus,  hastily 
collecting:  troops,  fell  unexpectedly  on  his  rear,  and 
gave  him  a  signal  defeat. 

In  a  short  time,  Pompey  himself  arrived  at  Da- 
mascus. Kings  crowded  from  all  sides  to  pay 
liomage  and  to  conciliate,  with  splendid  presents, 
the  greatest  subject  of  the  republic.  The  present 
of  the  king  of  Egypt  was  a  gold  crown,  worth 
4000  pieces  of  gold ;  that  of  Aristobulus  a  golden 
vine,  worth  400  talents.  After  a  short  absence  in 
Pontus,  Pompey  returned,  and  the  ambassadors  of 
Hyrcanus  and  Aristobulus  appeared  before  the  tri- 
bunal of  their  master ;  the  wily  Antipater  on  the 
part  of  Hyrcanus — on  that  of  Aristobulus  a  certain 
Nicodemus,  who  had  so  little  address,  as  to  com- 
plain of  the  extortions  of  the  Roman  commanders, 
Scaurus  and  Gabinius.  Pompey  appointed  a  solemn 
hearing  of  the  cause  for  the  next  spring,  and  ac- 
cordingly, at  that  time  the  ambassadors  of  Hyrca- 
nus, of  Aristobulus,  and  of  the  Jewish  people,  stood 
before  his  tribunal.  The  latter  began  the  charge 
against  both  the  brothers  :  they  had  usurped  (it  was 
urged)  an  authority  which  belonged  solely  to  the 
High  Priests,  introduced  a  kingly  despotism,  and 
reduced  a  free  people  to  servitude.  The  ambassa- 
dor of  Hyrcanus  pleaded  his  superior  title  as  the 
elder  born ;  accused  Aristobulus  of  not  merely 
usurping  the  throne  of  his  brother,  and  degrading 
him  to  a  private  station,  but  of  committing  wanton 
depredations  by  land,  and  piracies  by  sea,  on  all  the 
neighbouring  states.  On  the  part  of  Aristobulus, 
the  total  incapacity  of  Hyrcanus  was  strongly 
pi^essed ;  his  own  pi-etcnsions  to  power  were  Timited 
to  that  enjoyed  by  his  father  Alexander.  But  Pom- 
pey had  a  greater  object  in  view  than  the  settlement 
of  Judasa — the  subjugation  of  Arabia,  with  the 
seizure  of  Petra  and  its  trade.     He  dismissed  both 


72  HISTORY   OF    THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  63 

parties  with  great  civility,  particularly  Aiistoliulus, 
vvlio  had  the  power  of  impeding' his  desig'ns.     Aris- 
lobulus,  suspecting  the  goodness  of  his  own  cause, 
endeavoured  to  put  the  country  in  a  state  of  de- 
fence ;   but   Pompey,   on  his  return  from  Arabia, 
oegan  to  assume  a  higher  tone.     He  collected  his 
forces  and  marched  directly  into  Judaea.     He  found 
Aristobulus  shut  up  in  a  strong  citadel  on  a  rock 
called  Alexandrion.     Aristobulus  attempted  to  ne- 
gotiate ;  twice  he  descended  from  his  place  of  secu- 
rity to  hold  a  conference  with  Pompey:  the  third 
time  Pompey  forced  him  to  sign  written  orders  for 
the  surrender  of  all  his  fortresses.     The  bold  and 
enterprising  spirit  of  Aristobulus  could  not  brook 
the   disgrace  of  submission;  too  high-minded  to 
yield,  too  weak  to  resist,  his  conduct  shows  a  de- 
gree of  irresolution  and  vacillation,  which  it  is  more 
just  to  attribute  to  the  difficulty  of  his  situation, 
than  to  want  of  vigour  in  his  character.     He  fled  to 
Jerusalem,  and  prepared  for  resistance.     Pompey 
advanced  to  Jericho,  where  the  Romans  were  struck 
with  admiration  at  the  beautiful  palm-groves  and 
gardens  of   balsam-shrubs,  which,  originally  the 
growth  of  Arabia,  flourished  in  that  district  with 
great  luxuriance :  their  produce  had  become  an  im- 
portant article  of  trade.    As  he  approached  Jerusa- 
lem, Aristobulus,  who  found    the   city  too    much 
divided  to  make  effectual  resistance,  met  him,  and 
offered  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  the  surrender  of 
the  capital.     Gabinius  was  sent  forward  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  city,  but  the  bolder  party,  meantime, 
had  gained  the  ascendency,  and  he  found  the  gales 
closed  and  the  walls  manned.     Indignant  at  this 
apparent  treachery,  Pompey   threw  the  king  into 
chains,  and  advanced  in  person  on  Jerusalem.     The 
party  of  Hyrcanus  were  superior  in  the  city,  and 
immediately  received  the  invader  with  open  arms. 
The  soldiery  of  Aristobulus  took  possession  of  the 
£mple    and,  with   the   priesthood,  cut  off   all  tht 


B.C.  63.]       JERUSALEM  TAKEIS  BY  POMPEY.  73 

bridges  and  causeways  which  communicated  with 
the  town,  and  prepared  for  an  obstinate  defence. 
The  hill  of  the  temple,  precipitous  on  three  sides, 
was  impregnable,  except  from  the  north.  On  that 
side  Ponipey  made  his  approaches,  where  neverthe- 
less there  was  a  rapid  descent,  flanked  by  lofty 
towers.  Notwithstanding  the  arrival  of  military 
engines  from  Tyre,  this  holy  citadel  held  out  for 
three  months,  and  was  only  lost  through  the  super- 
stitious observance  of  the  Sabbath.  The  Macca- 
bean  relaxation  of  this  law  only  provided  for  actual 
self-defence  ;  the  Romans  soon  perceived  that  they 
might  carr}'  on  their  works  without  disturbance  on 
that  day.  They  regularly,  therefore,  suspended 
their  assault,  but  employed  the  time  in  drawing  the 
engines  near  the  walls,  filling  up  the  troni^hes,  and 
in  other  labours,  which  they  carried  on  without  the 
least  impediment.  At  the  end  of  the  three  months, 
one  of  the  battering  engines  threw  down  the  largest 
of  the  towers ;  Cornelius  Faustus,  a  son  of  Sylla, 
mounted  the  breach,  and,  after  an  obstinate  resist- 
ance and  great  loss  of  life,  the  Romans  remained 
masters  of  the  temple.  During  the  assault,  the 
priests  had  been  employed  in  the  daily  sacrifice : 
unmoved  by  the  terror,  and  confusion,  and  carnage 
around,  they  calmly  continued  their  office ;  many  of 
them  were  slain,  many  of  the  more  zealous  defend- 
ers of  the  temple  threw  themselves  headlong  down 
the  precipices.  The  conduct  of  the  Roman  general 
excited  at  once  the  horror  and  admiration  of  the 
ews.  He  entered  the  temple,  surveyed  every  part, 
and  even  penetrated  and  profaned  with  his  heathen 
presence  the  Holy  of  Holies,  into  which  the  High 
Priest  entered  only  once  a  year.  Great  was  his 
astonishment  to  find  this  mysterious  sanctuary  en- 
tirely empty,  with  no  statue,  or  form  or  symbol  of 
the  Deity,  to  whom  it  was  consecrated.  In  the 
other  parts  he  found  immense  riches — the  golden 
table  and  candlesticks,  a  great  store  of  precious 


^4  HISTORY    OP    THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  67 

frankincense,  and  2000  talents  in  the  treasury.  All 
these,  with  generosity  not  less  noble  because  it  was 
politic,  he  left  untouched — commanded  the  temple 
to  be  purified  from  the  carnage  of  his  soldiers — 
nominated  Hyrcanus  to  the  priesthood,  though  with- 
out the  royal  diadem:  then,  having  appointed  the 
stipulated  tribute  which  the  country  was  to  pay- 
demolished  the  walls  of  the  city — and  limited  the 
dominions  of  Hyrcanus  to  Judaea — he  departed,  car- 
rying with  him  Aristobulus,  his  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  as  prisoners  to  Rome.  Alexander,  the 
elder  son,  on  the  journey,  made  his  escape  ;  but  the 
.Jewish  king  and  his  other  son  adorned  the  splendid 
triumph  of  the  conqueror.  The  magnanimity  of 
Pompey,  in  respecting  the  treasures  of  the  temple, 
could  not  obliterate  the  deeper  impression  of  hatred 
excited  by  his  profanation  of  the  sacred  precincts. 
The  Jews  beheld  with  satisfaction  the  decline  o! 
Pompey's  fortune,  which  commenced  from  this 
period,  and  attributed  it  entirely  to  his  sacrilegious 
impiety.  Throughout  the  world  they  embraced  the 
party  of  Cagsar,  fortunate,  inasmuch  as  the  course 
they  followed  from  blind  passion,  conduced  even- 
tually to  their  real  interests,  and  obtained  them  im- 
portant privileges  and  protection  from  the  imperial 
house. 

Alexander,  the  son  of  Aristobulus,  inherited  the 
daring  and  active  courage  of  his  father ;  he  soon 
gathered  a  considerable  force,  and  garrisoned  Ma- 
chaerus,  Hyrcania,  and  the  strong  fort  of  Alexan- 
drion.  Hyrcanus  hastily  summoned  the  Romans  to 
his  assistance ;  Gabinius  entered  Judaea,  and,  having 
defeated  Alexander,  for  the  Jews  could  make  no 
great  stand  in  the  open  field,  he  besieged  him  in 
Alexandrion.  While  the  siege  lasted,  to  secure  the 
affections  of  the  provinces,  he  commanded  many  of 
the  cities,  which  the  Asmoneans  had  destroyed,  to 
be  rebuilt — Samaria,  Dora,  Scythopolis,  Gaza,  and 
other  towns.      In   the  mean  time,  the  mother  of 


B.C.  55.]         SAKHEPRINS  ESTABLISHED  76 

Alexander,  who  had  always  espoused  the  Roman 
party,  by  her  interest  v/itli  Gubniius  brought  about 
a  treaty,  in  which  Alexander  received  an  amnesty 
for  his  insurrection,  on  condition  of  surrendering 
his  fortresses.  No  sooner  was  he  subdued,  than 
Aristobulus  himself  and  his  younger  son,  having 
escaped  from  Rome,  raised  again  the  standard  of 
revolt,  but  with  worse  fortune ;  for,  though  many  of 
the  Jews  deserted  to  his  banner,  and  he  had  time  to 
refortify  Alexandrion,  he  was  taken,  after  being 
severely  wounded,  and  sent  back  in  chains  to  Rome. 
The  interest  of  the  mother  procured  the  intercession 
»f  Gabinius  for  the  release  of  her  son  Antigonus, 
^hich  was  granted  by  the  senate.  Aristobulus  re- 
mained a  prisoner.  Gabinius,  in  the  interval  between 
these  insurrections,  reorganized  the  whole  govern- 
ment of  the  country ;  he  deprived  the  High  Priest  of 
the  royal  authority,  and  established  five  independent 
senates  or  sanhedrins,  according  to  the  form  of  the 
great  Sanhedrin  of  seventy-one,  which  perhaps  had 
existed  from  the  captivity.  The  places  where  the 
sanhedrins  sat,  were  Jerusalem,  Jericho,  Gadara, 
Amathus,  and  Sepphoris.  This  form  of  government 
lasted  till  Julius  Caesar  re-invested  Hyrcanus  with 
the  supreme  dignity.  Gabinius,  with  Mark  Antony 
as  his  master  of  the  horse,  who  had  signalized  his 
valour  during  three  campaigns,  now  determined  on 
the  conquest  of  Egypt ;  but  scarcely  had  he  drawn 
off  his  troops  from  Syria,  when  the  restless  Alexan- 
der appeared  again  in  arms,  and  drove  the  few  re- 
maining Romans  into  a  strong  position  on  Mount 
Gerizim,  where  he  besieged  them.  On  the  return  of 
Gabniius  he  had  the  courage  to  meet  him,  at  the  head 
of  80,000  men,  in  the  open  field,  near  Mount  Tabor ; 
but  the  irresistible  Roman  discipline  bore  all  before 
it,  and  the  Jewish  i)rince  was  obliged  to  take  flight. 
It  was  singular,  and  the  fact  strongly  tended  to 
confirm  the  Jews  m  their  C(mviction  that  they  were 
under  the  especial  protection  of  the  Almighty,  that 


6  History  op  the  jews.        [b.c.  64 

the  worst  enemies  of  their  nation  seemed  marked 
for  disaster  and  flisp^rar-e.  Gabiniiis  no  sooner  re- 
lumed to  Rome,  than  lie  was  ignounniously  banished 
for  his  rapacity  and  malversations.  The  fate  of 
Crassus  in  Parthia  followed  almost  immediately  on 
his  sacrilegious  plunder  of  the  Jewish  temple. 
When  this  rapacious  triumvir  entered  Jerusalem  on 
his  way  to  that  fatal  expedition,  the  High  Priest, 
Eleazar,  attem.pted  to  appease  his  avarice  by  the 
surrender  of  a  bar  of  gold,  of  immense  value,  con- 
cealed within  a  hollow  beam  of  wood,  known  only 
to  himself.  This  offering  only  whetted  the  appetite 
of  Crassus;  he  pillaged  without  remorse  all  that 
Pompey  had  spared,  even  the  sacred  treasures,  and 
all  that  had  since  accumulated; — for  the  Jews,  now 
spread  throughout  ahnost  all  the  world,  made  it  a 
part  of  religion  to  send  an  annual  contribution  for 
the  service  of  the  temple.  This  sum  was  so  large, 
even  in  Italy,  that  Cicero,  in  his  oration  in  defence 
of  Flaccus,  seems  to  urge  the  wisdom  of  a  similar 
measure  to  that  adopted  by  his  client  in  Asia  Minor, 
a  prohibition  of  the  practice,  as  draining  the  Roman 
provinces  of  their  wealth.  Hence  the  plunder  of 
Crassus  from  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  estimated 
at  10,000  talents,  according  to  Prideaux  near  two 
millions  of  money,  though  perhaps  exaggerated,  may 
not  be  so  remote  from  truth. 

During  the  great  civil  war,  the  fate  of  Judaea, 
like  that  of  the  world,  hung  in  trembling  suspense- 
Caesar,  master  of  Rome,  sent  Aristobulus  an  ordei 
to  create  a  diversion  in  the  province  of  Palestine. 
The  partisans  of  Pompey  contrived  to  poison  the 
ill-fated  monarch ;  and  Seipio  publicly  executed  his 
gallant  son  Alexander  at  Antioch.  Thus  Hyrcanus, 
or  rather  Antipater  under  his  name,  retained  the 
sovereignty.  After  the  death  of  Pompey,  in  that 
romantic  war,  which  Caesar,  delaying  to  assume  the 
empire  of  the  universe,  waged  in  Egypt  in  favour 
of  Cleopatra,  the  prudent  Antipater  rendered  him 


B.C.  47  J  ANTIPATEH.  t? 

essential  service.  He  facilitated  the  march  of 
Mithiiddtes,  his  ally,  to  his  relief,  and  contributed 
to  the  reduction  of  Pelusium ;  conciliated  the  Egyp- 
tian Jews,  who  had  espoused  the  opposite  party, 
and  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  an  important 
hattle.  His  reward  was  the  full  re-establisiimeut 
of  Hyrcanns  in  the  high-priesthood  ;  for  himself,  the 
rights  of  Roman  citizenship,  and  the  appointment 
of  procurator  over  the  whole  of  Judaea.  The  first 
care  of  the  new  government  was  to  rebuild  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem ;  but  before  long,  Antipater,  still 
farther  presuming  on  the  incapacity  of  Hyrcanus, 
and  the  protection  of  the  Romans,  appointed  his 
elder  son  Phasael  to  the  government  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  younger  Herod  to  that  of  Galilee.  Herod 
began  immediately  to  develop  his  natural  decision 
and  severity  of  character.  He  seized  a  notorious 
captain  of  banditti,  Hezekiah,  who  had  been  the 
terror  of  the  whole  country,  and  put  him  to  death, 
with  almost  the  whole  of  his  band.  The  leading 
Jews,  jealous  of  the  Idumean  influence,  persuaded 
the  feeble  Hyrcanus,  that  the  execution  of  these 
robbers  without  trial  was  an  infringement  of  the 
law.  Herod  was  summoned  to  Jerusalem,  to  an- 
swer for  his  offence.  He  appeared  in  arms  before 
the  affrighted  Sanhedrin ;  not  a  voice  was  raised 
against  him,  till  at  last  Sameas,  a  man  of  high  in- 
tegrity, rose  and  rebuked  him  for  appeanng,  not  in 
the  humble  garb  of  a  criminal,  but  thus  clad  in  pur- 
ple and  armour.  To  the  honour  of  Herod,  when 
subsequently  he  slew  the  whole  Sanhedrin,  he  spared 
the  life  of  Sameas.  The  timid  Hyrcanus  adjourned 
the  trial,  and  sent  secret  intimation  to  Flerod  to 
escape.  He  took  refuge  at  Damascus  with  Sextus 
Caesar,  in  whose  favour  he  rose  with  great  rapidity, 
and  obtained,  bv  means  of  a  bribe,  the  military  com- 
mand of  Ccele-Syria.  He  then  advanced  against 
Jerusalem,  but  by  the  intervention  of  his  father 
Antipater,  withdrew  his  *"orces.     After  the  death  of 


is  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  43. 

Caesar,  Cassius  assumed  the  administration  of  Syria. 
Judaea  was  heavily  oppressed  by  his  rapacity;  though 
Antipater  and  his  sons  undertoolv,  with  Malichus,  a 
powerful  Jew,  the  collection  of  the  tribute,  so  severe 
were  the  exactions,  that  the  whole  population  of 
some  towns  were  sold  as  slaves,  and  Malichus  him- 
self would  not  have  escaped  the  resentment  of 
Cassius,  had  not  Hyrcanus  defrayed  the  deficiency 
in  his  accounts.  The  dexterous  Herod  contrived  to 
nsinuate  himself  into  the  favour  of  Cassius;  but 
Malichus,  head  of  the  Jewish  faction,  seized  the 
"opportunity  to  undermine  the  Idumean  influence  in 
Jerusalem.  He  contrived  to  poison  Antipater,  but 
at  the  same  time  to  exculpate  himself  from  all  par- 
ticipation in  the  crime.  By  the  advice  of  his  cau- 
tious brother,  Phasael,  Herod  dissembled  his  ven- 
geance ;  till,  at  length,  after  much  subtle  intrigue  on 
both  sides,  he  got  Malichus  into  his  power,  and  caused 
nim  to  be  murdered.  Cassius  had  protected  Herod ; 
but  no  sooner  had  he  left  Syria,  than  the  adverse 
faction  rallied,  Felix,  the  Roman  commander  in 
Jerusalem,  taking  their  side ;  but  they  were  sup- 
pressed by  the  vigour  of  Phasael.  A  new  enemy 
arose  in  the  person  of  Anligonus,  the  surviving  son 
of  Aristobulus,  who,  with  his  brother-in-law  the 
king  of  Chalcis,  advanced  into  Galilee.  They  were 
repulsed  and  defeated  by  Herod.  In  the  mean  time, 
the  fate  of  the  world  was  decided  at  Philippi.  Herod, 
ever  a  dexterous  worshipper  of  the  rising  sun,  has- 
tened to  render  his  allegiance,  and,  knowing  the 
character  of  the  man,  made  acceptable  offerings  in 
the  shape  of  large  sums  of  money,  to  the  victorious 
Mark  Antony.  Hencefoitti  the  Roman  was  deaf  to 
the  complaints  of  Herod's  enemies  ;  he  issued  seve- 
ral edicts  favourable  to  Hyrcauus  and  the  nation  in 
general,  particularly  commanding  the  liberation  of 
those  Jews  whom  Cassius  had  sold  for  slaves,  but 
appointed  Phasael  and  Herod  teirarchs  of  the  pro- 
vince. 


ri.C.  42. j  THE    PAKTHlANS  79 

An  unexpected  enemy  arose,  to  trouble  again  the 
peace  of  Judaea.  At  this  juncture,  the  Parthians 
under  Pacorus,  the  king's  son,  entered  Syria,  and 
Asia  Minor,  and  overran  the  whole  region.  A  part 
of  their  army,  under  Barzapharnes,  took  possession 
of  Cosle-Syria.  Antigonus,  the  last  remaining  branch 
of  the  Asmonean  race,  determined  to  risk  his  fortune 
on  the  desperate  hazard  of  Parthian  protection; 
he  offered  1000  talents  and  500  Jewish  women — a 
strange  compact — as  the  price  of  his  restoration  to 
the  Jewish  kingdom.  Antigonus,  himself,  raised  a 
considerable  native  power,  and  entered  Judaea,  fol- 
lowed by  Pacorus,  the  cup-bearer  of  the  king,  who 
had  the  same  name  with  the  king's  son.  Antigonus 
fought  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  and  by  means  of  his 
party,  entered  the  city.  Jerusalem  was  torn  asun- 
der by  the  contending  factions ;  and  the  multitudes 
who  came  up  at  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  adopting 
different  parties,  added  to  the  fierce  hostility,  and 
mutual  slaughter.  The  Antigonians  held  the  tem- 
ple, the  Hyrcaniaus  the  palace,  and  daily  contests 
taking  place,  the  streets  ran  with  blood.  Antigonus 
at  length  invidiously  proposed  to  submit  their  mutual 
differences  to  the  arbitration  of  Pacorus,  the  Parthian 
general.  Phasael  weakly  consented,  and  Pacorus, 
admitted  within  the  town,  prevailed  on  the  infatuated 
Phasael,  to  undertake  a  journey  with  Hyrcanus,  and 
submit  the  cause  to  Barzapharnes  the  commander- 
in-chief.  He  set  forth  on  this  ill-fated  expedition, 
and  was  at  first  received  with  courtesy:  the  plan  of 
the  Parthians  being  to  abstain  from  violence,  till 
they  had  seized  Herod,  who,  having  vainly  remon- 
strated with  his  brother  on  his  imprudence,  remained 
in  the  city.  But  the  crafty  Herod,  receiving  warn- 
ing from  his  brother,  whose  suspicions  had  been  too 
late  awakened,  fled  with  the  female  part  of  the  family 
towards  Masada.  The  journey  was  extremely  dan- 
gerous, and  at  one  time  Herod,  in  despair,  had  almost 
attempted  his  own  life.   At  M»«»^,  a  strong  fortress 


80  HISTORY   OF   THE   JEWS.  fB.C.  40 

on  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  he  received 
succours  brought  by  his  brother  Joseph  from  Idumea: 
him  he  left  in  command  at  Masada,  and  retired  him- 
self into  Arabia ;  from  thence  to  Eg)q)t,  and  at  length 
to  Home.  In  the  mean  time  Hyrcanus  and  Phasael 
had  been  made  prisoners ;  the  former,  Antigonus 
not  wishing  to  put  him  to  death,  wan  incapacitated 
for  ever  from  the  office  of  High  Priest,  by  the  mutila- 
tion of  his  ears.  Phasael  anticipated  the  execu- 
tioner by  beating  his  brains  out  against  the  wall  ol 
his  prison. 

Notwithstanding  their  alliance  with  Antigonus, 
who  assmned  the  sovereignty,  the  Parthians  plun- 
dered the  city,  and  ravaged  the  country;  Herod, 
however,  prospered  in  Rome,  beyond  his  most  ambi- 
tious hopes ;  his  design  had  been  to  set  up  the  claim 
of  Aristobulus,  the  brother  of  the  beautiful  Mariamne 
to  whom  he  was  betrothed.  This  youth  united  the 
titles  both  of  Hyrcanus  and  Aristobulus,  being  the 
son  of  Alexander  the  elder  son  of  the  latter,  by  the 
daughter  of  the  former.  But  Augustus  and  Antony 
united  in  conferring  the  crown  of  Judaea  on  Herod 
himself.  Herod  was  not  a  man  to  decline,  or  not 
to  make  the  most  of  the  favours  of  fortune;  he 
wasted  no  time  in  the  courtly  circle,  or  in  the  luxu- 
nes  of  Rome.  In  seven  days  he  despatched  all  his 
business,  returned  to  his  ships  at  Brundusium,  and, 
after  an  absence  of  scarcely  three  months,  landed 
at  Ptolemais.  The  city  of  Masada,  in  which  his 
brother  and  his  beautiful  bride  were  shut  up,  was 
his  first  object ;  the  Parthians  had  broken  up  on  the 
advance  of  the  Roman  general  Ventidius,  and  left 
Antigonus  to  defend  himself  as  well  as  he  could. 
Antigonus  had  almost  reduced  Masada,  which  but 
for  a  timely  rain  which  filled  the  water  tanks,  was 
reduced  to  the  greatest  extremity  from  drought. 
Herod  speedily  raised  a  force,  united  with  some 
Roman  auxiliaries  under  Silo,  overran  Galilee,  re- 
litwr^  Masada,  zuvi  sat  down  before  Jerusalem.   Silo 


U.  59-8.]      HKKOD  BESIEGES  JERUSALEM.  81 

'vas  a  man  equally  perfidious  and  rapacious ;  by  as- 
sisting both  partipp,  Vi^^  enrichrd  himself.  Hithertn 
Be  had  befriended  Herou,  now  uimer  pretext  of  a 
mutiny  among  his  soldiers  for  want  of  provisions, 
he  broke  up  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  pillaged  Jericho, 
and  retired  into  winter  quarters.  Herod,  unable  with 
his  own  forces  to  undertake  the  invasion  of  Judaea, 
fixed  his  head  quarters  at  Samaria,  and  employed 
his  time  in  reducing  Galilee,  then  infested  by  bands 
of  daring  robbers,  who  dwelt  in  caves  among  the 
wild  and  craggy  mountainous  districts  of  Upper 
Galilee.  A  great  number  he  drove  beyond  Jordan, 
the  rest  he  surprised  in  their  dens.  Chests  full  of 
armed  men  were  let  down  by  windlasses  from  the 
precipices  above  the  caves ;  when  they  were  thus 
landed  at  the  mouths  of  the  caves,  the  soldiers  trans- 
fixed those  they  could  rea(;h  with  harpoons,  and 
finally  set  fire  to  the  caves.  One  desperate  old  man 
slew  his  wife,  and  children,  tlirew  them  down  the 
precipice,  and  dashed  himself  after  them. 

The  next  year  the  campaign  against  Antigonus 
was  renewed, the  Roman  auxiliaries,  two  legions  and 
1000  horse,  were  under  the  command  of  Machaeras 
Machaeras  being  repulsed  from  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem, revenged  the  affront  on  the  Jewish  followers 
of  Herod,  who  retreated  to  Samaria,  and  from  thence 
departed  to  Samosata  to  pay  his  homage  and  lodge 
his  complaints  before  Antony,  wiio  was  engaged  in 
the  siege  of  that  city.  Joseph,  his  brother,  was  left 
in  command  in  Judasa,  witli  strict  injunction  not  to 
risk  a  battle ;  he  disobeyed,  was  routed  and  slain. 
Herod,  on  his  return,  revenged  his  death  by  the  total 
discomfiture  of  Pappus,  the  general  of  Antigonus. 
In  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he  formed  the  regular 
siege  of  Jerusalem ;  during  the  sieg-e  he  returned 
to  Samaria  to  consummate  his  marriage  with  Mari 
auAJie,  and  having  thus  formed  an  intimate  connexion 
with  the  line  of  the  Asnioncan  princes,  he  hastened 

secure  his  throne  by  the  conquest  of  the  capital 

rr— G 


82  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.O.  51 

Jerusalem  held  out  for  above  half-a-year;  the  Ro 
mans  under  Sopjus,  furious  at,  tho  obstinate  resist 
ance,  after  the  capture  gave  louse  to  all  their  re 
vengeful  cruelty  and  rapaciousupss.  It  was  onlj 
through  the  interference  of  Herod,  who  bitterly  ex- 
postulated on  the  indignity  of  leaving  him  king  not 
of  a  noble  city,  but  of  a  desert,  that  the  whole  town 
escaped  destruction.  He  exerted  himself  with  no 
less  energy  and  success  in  preventing  the  heathen 
soldiers  from  penetrating  into  the  holy  places  ;  with 
his  characteristic  sagacity,  never  overlooking  an 
opportunity  of  working  either  on  the  popular  feeling. 
or  on  that  of  his  Roman  confederates,  for  his  own 
advantage.  Antigonus  craved  his  life  in  a  mean 
and  abject  manner  from  Sosius,  to  whom  he  had 
surrendered.  The  stern  Roman  treated  his  unmanly 
weakness  with  contempt,  called  him  by  the  feminine 
name  Antigone,  not  Antigonus,  and  sent  him  in 
chains  to  Antony,  where,  at  the  solicitation  of 
Herod,  he  was  put  to  death  by  the  barbarous  and 
insulting  stroke  of  the  common  lictor 


•-0.37.1  V.  "  3 


BOOK  XI 

HEROD. 

Accession — Battle  of  Jlctium — Death  of  Mariamne — Magnifitemet  tf 
Herod — Se/jaste  bvilt — Rebuil<ting  of  the  Temple — Caiarea — Sont 
of  Mariamne — Death  of  Antiputer — Death  of  Herod. 

Thus  Herod  the  Great,  the  last  independent  sove- 
reign of  Palestine,  became  master  of  his  dominions. 
So  far  his  career  had  been  marked  with  uncommon 
ability,  nor  had  it  been  disgraced  by  unusual  atro- 
city. With  signal  penetration  he  had  eluded  the 
arts,  by  the  rapidity  and  decision  of  his  measures 
triumphed  over  the  open  hostility  of  his  antagonists; 
by  his  knowledge  of  the  Roman  character,  and  that 
of  the  successive  extraordinary  individuals  who  had 
held  the  destiny  of  the  world  at  their  command,  he 
had  secured  not  merely  their  protection,  but  their 
friendship.  Still  his  situation  was  difficult  and  pre- 
carious; it  demanded  his  utmost  dexterity  and 
vigour,  and  unhappily  gave  him  the  tyrant's  plea  of 
necessity  for  the  most  relentless  cruelties.  The 
mass  of  the  people  were  still  ardently  attached  to 
the  great  Asmonean  family ;  the  faction  of  Antigo- 
nus  was  strong  in  Jerusalem.  Against  the  latter  he 
proceeded  without  scruple,  put  to  death  forty-five 
of  the  chiefs,  and  confiscated  all  their  property. 
The  whole  Sanhedrin  fell  victims  to  his  vengeance, 
excepting  Sameas  (Shammai)  and  Pollio.  The  two 
latter,  during  the  siege,  had  endeavoured  to  persuade 
the  city  to  capitulate.  The  rest  had  raised  the 
popular  cry — "  Tlie  Ti>mple  of  the  Lord  !  the  Tem- 
ple uf  the  Lord'"  and  excited  a  strong  enthusiasm 
against  the  alien  from  the  blood  of  Israel.  The 
appointment  to  the  office  of  High  Priest  caused  the 
greatest  embarrassment.     The  nation  would  never 


S4  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.C.  36. 

have  endured  the  usurpation  of  that  office  by  an 
Iduniean  stranger.  Hyrcanus,  the  old  patron  of  the 
Herodian  family,  returned  from  his  honourable  cap- 
tivity in  Parthia;  he  was  received  with  every  mark 
of  outward  respect  by  Herod,  but  the  mutilation  of 
his  ears  by  Antigonus  disqualified  him  for  reinstate- 
ment in  his  office.  Herod  invited  an  obscure  indi- 
vidual of  the  lineage  of  the  High  Priest,  Ananel, 
from  Babylon.  Alexandra,  the  widow  of  that  gal- 
lant Alexander,  the  son  of  Aristobulus,  who  was 
executed  by  Scipio,  beheld  this  choice  with  secret 
indignation.  She  was  a  high-minded  and  ambi- 
tious woman ;  the  marriage  of  her  daughter  Mari- 
amne  to  Herod,  aggravated  rather  than  palliated  the 
indignity  ol  excluding  her  son,  the  rightful  heir  of 
both  the  Asmonean  families,  from  the  priesthood 
Unscrupulous  as  to  her  means  of  vengeance,  she 
sent  the  pictures  of  her  two  children,  a  son  and 
daughter,  both  of  exquisite  beauty,  to  Antony,  in 
order,  by  this  unnatural  and  odious  measure,  to 
work  on  the  passions  of  the  voluptuous  Triumvir. 
Herod  was  seized  with  apprehension,  changed  at 
once  his  policy,  displaced  Ananel,  and  installed  the 
young  Aristobulus  in  the  pontificate.  But  mistrust 
and  hatred  had  taken  too  deep  root.  Alexandra  was 
detected  in  a  secret  correspondence  with  Cleopatra ; 
and  a  plan  which  she  had  formed  to  fly  with  her  son 
to  the  court  of  Egypt,  was  only  disconcerted  by  the 
excessive  vigilance  of  Herod.  Worse  than  all  this, 
when  the  lovely  boy  of  seventeen,  the  heir  of  their 
rightful  princes,  appeared  before  the  assembled 
nation  at  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  in  the  splendid 
costume  of  the  High  Priest,  and  performing  his 
solemn  office  with  the  most  perfect  grace,  the  popu- 
lar feeling  was  too  evident  to  be  mistaken.  Herod 
saw  that  his  own  suspicions  were  sadly  verified,  he 
had  raised  up  a  dangerous  rival  to  his  power  in  the 
young  Asmonean.  He  dissembled  his  jealousy,  and 
joined  in  the  general  admirition;  but,  contriving 


B.C.  34.]     HEKOd's  visit  to  stark  ANTONY.  85 

shortly  after  to  remove  the  youth  to  Jericho,  he 
caused  him  to  he  dro^viio;!  by  his  cM'^ipanions  wli'io 
Dathing  in  apool.  He  assuinud  greiit  i(rief  on  the 
mehiucholy  event,  aii'l  atlcnipted  to  divert  the  popu- 
lar indi<^nation  by  a  splendid  funeral.  Bat  the  peo- 
ple were  not  deceived,  .siil]  less  the  heart  of  the 
bereaved  and  wretched  parent.  Alexandra  sent  in- 
telligence of  the  murder  to  ('leopatra,  who  espoused 
her  cause  with  the  warmest  interest  of  a  woman 
and  a  mother;  not  without  isome  secret  suggestion 
from  her  ambition,  wlui-h  iiad  already  begun  to  look 
towards  .fudtea  as  a  valuable  province  of  Egypt. 
Antony  was  at  the  height  of  his  devotion  to  the 
lux'urious  (jueen:  the  rain  of  Herod  seemed  inevita- 
ble. With  his  characteristic  boldness  he  deter- 
mined to  try  ilie  efievt  of  his  personal  presence, 
which  might  awaken  early  friendship,  and  give 
weiglit  to  those  more  powerful  arguments,  the  im- 
mense bribes,  witli  wliich  he  hoped  to  secure  his 
(  ause.  He  left  Jerusalem  under  the  government  of 
his  uncle  Joseph;  he  intrusted  to  his  care  not 
merely  his  interests,  but  his  incomparable  Maria nuie. 
He  went,  certainly,  to  danger,  perhaps  to  deatli,  and, 
with  a  strange  jealousy,  he  could  not  endure  that 
any  one  should  possess  his  wife  even  after  his 
death,  least  of  all  the  licentious  Antony.  He  left  a 
secret  charge  with  Josepli,  that  if  he  should  fail  in 
his  mission,  Mariamne  was  to  be  immediately  put 
to  death.  During  his  absence,  the  incautious  Jose])li 
betrayed  this  secret  order  to  Mariamne ;  her  inothei 
excited  her  to  revenge.  A  sudden  rumour  spread 
abroad  that  Herod  had  been  slain  by  Antony. 
Alexandra  and  Mariamne  began  to  take  immediate 
measures  for  securing  the  authority,  but  intelligence 
of  an  opposite  nature  frustrated  their  plans.  On 
the  return  of  Herod,  his  sister  Salome,  wounded  at 
the  haughtiness  with  which  she  had  ever  been 
treated  by  the  proud  Asmonean  princess,  endea- 
voured to  poison  his  muid  with  suspicions  of  his 


86  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  31. 

wife,  whom  she  accused  of  too  intimate  correspond, 
eiice  with  Joseph  l!ie  ^rovcnior.  A'et  the  beauty  ol 
Mariamne,  once  seen,  overpowered  every  emotion 
but  that  of  unbounded  love  Unhappiiy,  m  me 
transport  ot  tender  reconciliation,  Marianme  asked 
whether  if  he  had  really  loved  her,  he  would  have 
given  that  fatal  order  for  l\er  death.  Herod  sprang 
from  her  arms  in  fury.  The  betrayal  of  this  secret 
warranted  his  worst  suspicions ;  it  could  not  have 
been  yielded  up  but  at  the  price  of  her  honour.  He 
would  have  slain  her  on  the  spot,  but  her  beauty, 
even  then,  disarmed  him  :  his  whole  vengeance  fell 
on  Joseph  and  Alexandra.  The  first  he  executed, 
the  second  he  imprisoned  with  every  mark  of  insult. 
Cleopatra,  in  the  mean  time,  having  been  unable  to 
extort  the  gift  of  Judaea  from  her  paramour,  was 
obliged  to  content  herself  with  the  balsam  gardens 
near  Jericho.  On  her  return  from  accompanying 
Antony  in  his  campaign  to  the  Euphrates,  she  en- 
tered Jerusalem,  and  Herod  was  in  as  great  danger 
from  her  love  as  from  her  hate.  Whether  from 
prudence  or  dislike,  he  I'epelled  her  advances,  and 
even  entertained  some  thoughts  of  delivering  both 
himself  from  a  dangerous  neighbour,  and  Antony 
from  a  fatal  and  imperious  mistress,  by  her  assas- 
sination. His  friends  dissuaded  him  from  the  hazard- 
ous measure.  A  short  time  after,  he  found  himself 
engaged  in  a  war,  which  he  entered  into  with  the 
ostensible  design  of  enforcing  Cleopatra's  right  of 
tribute  ovei  Malchus,  king  of  Arabia.  By  comply- 
ing with  the  wishes  of  Antony  on  this  point,  the 
dexterous  politician  escaped  taking  any  prominent 
part  in  the  great  war  between  the  eastern  and 
western  world,  which  was  to  award  the  empire  to 
Antony  or  Octavius.  In  his  first  invasion  of  Arabia 
he  was  unsuccessful,  and  met  with  so  signal  a  defeat, 
that  he  was  constrained  to  change  the  war  into  one 
of  sudden  irruptions  into  the  border  of  the  enemy, 
without  risking  a  battle      A  more  tremendous  blow 


B.O-30.]  HEROD  S  VISIT  TO  CJ3SAR  87 

fell  on  Judaea, — an  earthquake,  which  threw  do^vn 
many  cities  and  dostroyed  30,000  lives.  The  Aral';" 
seized  the  opportunity  of  this  disaster,  and  put  the 
Jewish  ambassadors  to  death;  but  this  conduct 
enabled  Herod  to  rouse  the  national  spirit,  and  tne 
Arabians,  defeated  with  the  loss  of  5,000  men,  were 
besieged  in  their  camp.  Many  surrendered  from 
want  of  water;  the  rest  made  a  desperate  but  fatal 
sady,  in  which  7,000  more  perished. 

Still,  though  not  personally  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  Aitium,  Herod  had  reason  to  apprehend  the  tri- 
umph of  Octavuis  Caesar.  Having  secured  every 
thing  at  home,  he  determined  to  meet  the  youthful 
conqueror  at  Rhodes.  While  one  remnant  of  the 
Asmonean  race  survived,  his  throne  was  less  secure; 
and  the  old  Hyrcanus,  now  eighty  years  of  age,  at 
length  paid  the  last  penalty  for  having  unhappily 
been  born  to  a  lofty  station,  for  which  he  was  unfit. 
The  documents  in  the  royal  archives  of  Herod, 
accused  the  poor  old  man  of  having  been  persuaded, 
by  his  intriguing  daughter  Alexandra,  into  a  trea- 
sonable correspondence  with  the  Arabian  king; 
other  accouius  ascribe  the  invention  of  the  plot  to 
Herod.  At  all  events,  it  vv  as  fatal  to  Hyrcanus,  who 
thus  closed  a  life  of  extraordinary  vicissitude,  borne 
with  constitutional  indolence,  by  a  violent  death. 
This  done,  Herod  committed  the  government  to  his 
brother  Pheroras  ;  sent  his  mother,  sister,  and  chil- 
dren to  Masada  ;  and  committed  Mariamne  and  her 
mother  to  the  charge  of  his  faithful  parti'-ans,  Soe- 
mus  and  Joseph,  in  the  fortress  of  Alexandrion,  with 
the  same  extraordinary  injunctions  which  he  had 
before  left,  that,  in  case  of  his  death,  Mariamne 
should  be  despatched.  He  then  set  sail  for  Rhodes. 
He  appeared  before  the  conqueror,  without  the  dia- 
dem, but  with  all  the  dignity  of  an  independent 
sovereign.  He  addressed  him  in  a  speech,  which, 
disdaining  apology,  enlarged  on  his  obligations,  and 
avowed  his  attachment,  to  Antony      He  declared 


88  HISTORY  0»   THE  JEWS  [b.O.  29. 

that,  as  a  friend,  he  had  given  him  the  best  advice 
euch  advice  as  might  have  made  him  again  formi- 
dable to  Caesar ;  he  liad  begged  hiin  to  put  Cleopatra 
to  death,  and  vigorously  resume  the  war.   "Antony," 
he  pursued,  "adopted  a  counsel  more  fatal  to  him- 
self, more  advantageous  to  you.     If,  then,  attach- 
ment to  Antony  be  a  crime,  I  plead  guilty ;  but  if, 
having  thus  seen  how  steady  and  faithful  I  am  in 
my  friendships,  you  determine  to  bind  me  to  your 
fortunes  by  gratitude,  depend  on  the  same  firnmess 
and  fidelity."     This  lofty  tone  and  generous  senti- 
ment won  the  kindred  heart  of  the  arbiter  of  the 
world's  destinies.     C?esar  commanded  the  dignified 
suppliant  to  resume  the  diadem,  treated  him  with 
great  distinction,  and  Herod  returned  to  Judaea,  to 
the  admiration  of  his  partisans,  and  the  terror  of  his 
enemies,  thus  constantly  breaking  forth  with  greater 
splendour  from  every  transient  cloud  of  danger. 
Caesar  passed  from  Rhodes  to  Asia  Minor ;  thence 
through  Syria  to  Egypt.    Herod  met  him  at  Ptole- 
mais,  made  him  a  present  of  eight  hundred  talents, 
and,  by  the  splendour  of  his  entertamment,  and 
the  provisions  with  which  he  furnished  his  army, 
still  further  conciliated  his  favour.     After  the  con- 
quest of  Egypt,  Octavius  restored  to  him  the  part 
of  his  own  territory  formerly  bestowed  on  Cleopatra, 
with  Gadara,  Hippo,  Samaria,  and  the  maritime 
towns  of  Joppa,  Anthedon,  Gaza,  and  the  towet  of 
Slrato. 

Thus,  abroad,  success  seemed  to  wait  on  all  the 
designs  of  Herod:  the  neighbouring  kings  might 
admire  and  envy  the  good  fortune,  or  ratlier  the 
consummate  ability,  with  which  he  extricated  him 
self  from  all  his  difficulties,  and  continued  advancing 
in  the  career  of  prosperity  and  power ;  but  at  home 
the  most  miserable  peasant  might  compassionate 
the  wretchedness  which  filled  his  palace  with  dis- 
tension, crime,  and  bloodshed.  The  magnificence 
of  Herod's  public  lift  is  strangely  co  it^asted  with 


h.r.  29.]  DEATH  or  ullriamvm  8$ 

the  dark  tragedy  of  his  domestic  history.  Mariamne 
had  again  extorted  the  fatal  charge  intrusted  to 
iSoemus ;  and  indignant  at  the  jealous  determination 
of  her  husband,  that  she  should  not  survive  him,  she 
met  him  on  his  retuni  with  repulsive  indifference, 
and  even  with  undissembled  dislike.  Herod  strug- 
gled between  his  love  and  his  indignation ;  till  one 
day,  instead  of  submitting  to  his  caresses,  in  the 
height  of  her  passion  she  reproached  him,  in  termg 
of  the  utmost  bitterness,  with  his  barbarous  conduct 
to  her  relations.  The  envious  Salome  watched 
ever\'  opportunity  of  inflaming  the  resentment  of 
her  brother ;  and  suborned  his  cup-bearer  to  accuse 
Mariamne  of  having  bribed  him  to  administer  a  poi- 
sonous philtet,  or  love-potion,  to  his  master.  Herod 
commanded  her  favourite  eunuch,  to  whom  all  her 
secrets  were  intrusted,  to  be  put  to  the  rack.  The 
tortured  man  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  poison, 
but  exclaimed,  that  the  conduct  of  his  mistress  was 
entirely  owing  to  the  information  she  had  received 
from  Soemus.  Furious  at  this  new  proof  of  hei 
infidelity,  he  ordered  Soemus  to  be  despatched  at 
once,  and  summoned  Mariamne  before  a  tribunal  of 
judges,  who  were  too  much  in  dread  of  his  power 
not  to  pass  the  sentence  of  death.  Still  Herod  hesi- 
tated ;  he  had  no  immediate  intention  of  proceeding 
further  than  imprisonment;  but  his  mother  and 
sister  so  worked  on  his  moody  and  violent  temper 
that  he  at  length  issued  out  the  fatal  orders  for  her 
execution.  To  the  horror  of  the  spectators,  her 
mother  Alexandra  assailed  the  wretched  Mariamne, 
as  she  went  to  death,  with  a  violent  invective  against 
her  ingratitude  to  so  gentle  and  aflfectionale  a  hus- 
band, loudly  declaring  that  she  deserved  the  fate 
she  was  about  to  suffer.  The  queen  passed  on  in 
silence  with  the  dignity  of  conscious  virtue  ;  though 
deeply  wounded  at  this  disgraceful  and  hypocritical 
conduct  of  her  mother,  who  thus  sought  to  avert 
the  suspicions  of  Herod  from  herself,  and  to  sav* 
II.— H 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  26 

her  own  life  at  the  sacrifice  of  her  daughter's 
honour,  she  would  not  condescend  to  betray  her 
emotion.  She  met  her  death  with  the  calm  intre- 
pidity  of  iiniocence,  and  died  worthy  of  the  noble 
house  of  which  the  last  blood  flowed  in  her  veins. 
.She  was  a  woman  of  unrivalled  beauty  and  a 
haughty  spirit :  unhappy  in  being  the  object  of  pas- 
sionate attachment,  which  bordered  on  frenzy,  to  a 
man  who  had  more  or  less  concern  in  the  murder  of 
her  grandfather,  father,  brother,  and  uncle,  and  who 
had  twice  commanded  her  death  in  case  of  his  own. 
Strange  conflict  of  duties  !  who  shall  decide,  what 
ought  to  have  been  her  feelings  and  her  conduct? 

All  the  passions,  which  filled  the  stormy  mind  of 
Herod,  were  alike  without  bound  :  from  violent  love, 
and  violent  resentment,  he  sank  into  as  violent  re- 
morse and  despair.  Everywhere,  by  day  and  night, 
he  was  haunted  by  the  image  of  the  murdered  Ma- 
riamne ;  he  called  upon  her  name ;  he  perpetually 
burst  into  passionate  tears.  In  vain  he  tried  every 
diversion, — banquets,  revels,  the  excitement  of  so- 
ciety. A  sudden  pestilence  broke  out,  to  which 
many  of  the  noblest  of  his  court  and  of  his  own 
personal  friends  fell  a  sacrifice ;  he  recognised,  and 
trembled  beneath  the  hand  of  the  avenging  Deity. 
On  pretence  of  hunting,  he  sought  out  the  most  me- 
lancholy solitude,  till  the  disorder  of  his  mind  brought 
on  disorder  of  body,  and  he  was  seized  with  violent 
inflammation  and  pains  in  the  back  of  his  head,  which 
led  to  temporary  derangement.  In  this  state  he  lay 
at  Samaria.  The  restless  Alexandra  immediately 
began  to  renew  her  intrigues ;  but  his  partisans  sent 
intelligence  to  him,  and  she  was  at  length  consigned 
to  execution. 

Herod  slowly  recovered  from  his  malady,  but  it 
left  an  indelible  gloom  upon  his  mind  ;  and  his  stern 
temper,  instead  of  being  softened  by  calamity,  seemed 
to  have  acquired  a  fierce  and  insatiable  propensity 
to  cruelty  and  bloodshed.    His  next  victim  v«« 


B.C.  26.]  Herod's  kxitt::ttioxs.  PI 

Costobaras,  an  Idumean,  the  husband  of  his  sister 
Salome,  whom    she,   in   defiance   of  the  law,  !uid 
divorced;  and,  throuj^h  her  machinations,  the  unfor- 
tunate man  was  involved  in  the  guilt  of  a  pretended 
conspiracy,  and  convicted  of  the  '•oncealment  ol 
some  of  the  Asmonean  partisans.     He  was  put  to 
death  witli  many  other  men  of  rank  and  distinction. 
From  these  horrible  scenes  we  may  turn  with  satis- 
faction to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  country, 
and  the  liberality  and  magnificence  of  Herod's  pui)i'ic 
administration.     Yet  Herod  either  did  not  under- 
stand, or  more  probably  suspected  as  adverse  to  his 
interests,  the  strong  and  distinctive   principles  of 
the  national  character.     Outwardly  professing  the 
utmost  respect  for  the  religion  of  his  subjects,  he 
introduced  public  exhibitions  and  spectacles  of  every 
kind,  as  if  to  reconcile  the  people  by  degrees  to 
foreign  usages,  and  so  break  down  the  wall  of  par- 
tition which  separated  them  from  other  nations.    He 
built  a  theatre  within  the  walls  of  .Jerusalem,  an 
amphitheatre  of  immense  size  without.     He  cele- 
brated quinquennial  games  on  a  scale  of  unrivalled 
splendour;   invited   the   most   distinguished  profi- 
cients  in  every  kind  of   gymnastic    exercise,   in 
chariot  racing,  boxing,  and  every  kind  of  musical 
and  poetic  art ;  oflfered  the  most  costly  prizes ;  and 
even  introduced  the   barbarous   spectacles  of  the 
Romans,  fights  of  wild  beasts,  and  combats  of  wild 
beasts  with  gladiators.     The  zealous  Jews  looked 
on  in  amazement,  and  with  praiseworthy  though 
silent  abhorrence,  at  these  sanguinary  exhibitions, 
so  contrary  to  the  mild  genius  of  their  great  law- 
giver's institutions.     But  when  Herod  proceeded  to 
adorn  his  theatre  with  representations  of  the  vic- 
tories of  Caisar,  and  set  up,  as  trophies  around  it, 
complete  suits  of  armour  which  had  been  taken  in 
his  wars,  the  people  broke  out  into  a  violent  tumult, 
supposing  that  images  were  concealed  within  these 


92  HISTORY  OF   THE   JEWS        [b.C.  25-4 

panoplies.  To  appease  the  general  dissatisfaction, 
Horod  commanded  one  of  thom  to  be  taken  to  pieces 
111  the  sight  of  all  the  people ;  and  when  a  bare  peg 
of  wood  appeared  within,  their  dis(;ontent  and  anger 
turned  to  laughter  and  ridicule.  But  still  a  stern 
and  dangerous  enthusiasm  prevailed  among  all  who 
were  zealously  attached  to  the  institutions  of  their 
ancestors.  Ten  men  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn 
vow  to  assassinate  the  innovator  in  the  scene  of  his 
delinquency:  one  of  them  was  blind,  yet,  though 
he  could  not  assist  in  the  execution,  he  was  deter- 
mined to  share  in  the  peril  of  the  enterprise.  They 
entered  the  theatre  with  daggers  under  their  cloaks, 
but  the  vigilant  police  of  Herod  were  on  their  guard, 
he  received  intimation  and  returned  into  the  palace. 
The  men  were  apprehended,  and  instead  of  denying, 
boldly  avowed  and  justified  their  design.  They 
endured  the  most  ignominious  torture,  but  died  firm 
and  undaunted  to  the  last.  The  informer,  being  dis- 
covered, was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  populace ;  and 
though  Herod  with  incredible  pains  detected  and 
punished  the  ringleaders  in  this  affray,  he  felt  the 
insecurity  of  his  government  and  even  of  his  life, 
rerticularly  in  Jerusalem.  Actuated  by  his  fears  as 
well  as  the  magnificence  of  his  disposition,  he  built 
a  strong  and  splendid  palace  on  the  hill  of  Sion, 
rebuilt  as  a  fortress  the  palace  of  Baris,  which  com- 
manded the  temple,  and  called  it  Antonia.  Still 
further  to  secure  himself  against  the  turbulent  dis- 
position of  the  capital,  he  determined  to  found  otlier 
cities  which  might  be  more  at  his  devotion.  They 
would  serve  the  double  purpose  of  controlling  the 
country  as  strong  military  posts,  and  affording  him 
a  retreat,  on  an  emergency,  from  the  disaffected 
metropolis.  With  this  view  he  built  citadels,  as 
Gaba  in  Galilee,  and  Heshbon  in  Peraea.  The 
strongest  measure  was  the  rebuilding  Samaria, 
which  he  did  on  a  scale  of  great  magnificence  and 


h.C    24.]  HEROD's  MtNlFICBNC*.  09 

strength,  and  peopled  it  partly  with  his  soldiers, 
partly  with  the  descendants  of  the  old  Samaritans, 
who  hoped  to  see  their  temple  likewise  restored. 
But  Herod  did  not  neglect  more  noble  and  kingly 
means  of  regaining  the  lost  affections  of  his  sub- 
jects. A  long  drought,  followed  by  unproductiye 
seasons,  involved  not  merely  Judaea,  but  the  neigh- 
bouring countries  likewise,  in  all  the  horrors  of 
famine,  and  its  usual  consequence — a  dreadful  epi- 
demic pestilence.  The  little  com  that  remained, 
rotted,  so  that  there  was  not  enough  seed  to  crop 
the  ground.  Herod  instantly  opened  his  treasures, 
secured  a  vast  importation  of  grain  from  Egypt,  and 
made  constant  distributions,  both  of  food,  and  of 
clothing.  50,000  persons  are  said  to  have  been 
maintained  at  his  sole  expense,  and  he  even  furnished 
corn  for  seed  to  the  neighbouring  inhabitants  of 
Syria,  so  that  the  fame  of  his  munificence  not  merely 
caused  a  strong  reaction  in  his  favour  among  his 
own  subjects,  but  secured  him  a  high  degree  of 
popularity  with  all  the  bordering  states.  This  great 
expenditure  seems  by  no  means  to  have  exhausted 
the  revenues  of  Herod.  He  still  indulged  in  his 
sumptuous  passion  for  building.  Having  married  a 
second  Mariamne,  the  daughter  of  Simon,  an  obscure 
individual  of  priestly  lineage,  whom  he  appointed 
High  Priest,  he  chose  the  spot  on  which  he  had  de- 
feated Antigonus.  about  seven  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
'as  the  site  of  a  new  fortified  palace  in  his  usual  style 
of  architecture.  It  stood  on  the  gentle  slope  of  a 
mound  raised  by  human  industry.  The  ascent  was 
by  a  iiundred  steps  to  an  enclosure  of  circular  towers, 
within  which  were  courts,  ascending  to  the  palace, 
which  stood  like  a  citadel  above  the  rest.  A  town 
rai)idly  grew  around  the  base  of  the  hill.  Water 
was  brought  by  costly  aqueducts  from  a  great 
distance. 
Thi's,  terrible  to  his  adversaries,  generally  couiw 


94  HISTORY    OP   THE   JEWS.  [b.C.  22. 

teous,  affable,  and  bounteous  to  his  countrymen  and 
to  strang-ers,  securing  his  interests  with  Rome  and 
Its  rulers  by  the  most  costly  adulation,  Herod  steadily 
pursued  his  policy  of  counterbalancing,  by  a  strong 
Grecian  party,  the  turbulent  and  exclusive  spirit  of 
his  Jewish  subjects.     More  completely  to  secure 
this  object,  he  determined  to  found  a  powerful  city, 
chiefly  colonized  with  Grecians,  and  dedicated  to 
the  name  of  his  great  Roman  protector.     Samaria 
he  had  already  called  Sebaste  (the  August);  the 
new  city  was  to  take  the  name  of  Caesarea.     He 
chose  a  maritime  situation,  for  the  advantage  of  com- 
merce, and  may  have  thought  of  uniting  in  his  new 
city  the  wealth  of  ancient  Tyre  with  the  greatness 
of  Jerusalem.     There  was  a  small  town  called  the 
tower  of  Straton,  midway  between  Joppa  and  Dora. 
It  possessed  a  haven,  like  all  the  rest  on  that  coast 
dangerous  on  account  of  the  violent  south-western 
winds,  against  which  they  had  no  protection.     He 
first  formed  a  strong  mole  or  break-water,  by  sinking 
stones  fifty  feet  long,  eighteen  wide,  and  nine  deep. 
On  this  arose  a  pier  two  hundred  feet  wide,  defended 
by  a  wall  and  towers.     The  entrance  to  this  great 
artificial  haven  was  from  the  north ;  and  a  vast  fleet 
could  thus  ride  in  perfect  safety  in  a  sort  of  double 
harbour.     All  round,  ran  a  noble  quay  or  esplanade, 
and,  probably,  under  this,  were  arched  buildings  for 
the  entertainment  and  residence  of  mariners.  Above, 
the  city  rose  like  an  amphitheatre  in  a  uniform  line 
of  sumptuous  palaces.     The  subterranean  arches, 
for  drainage  and  other  purposes,  were  on  so  great  a 
scale  that  Josephus  says  there  was  as  much  building 
below  ground  as  above.     In  the  centre  stood  a  great 
temple  dedicated  to  Caesar,  with  two  colossal  statues, 
one  of  Rome,  the  other  of  Caesar.     A  theatre  and 
amphitheatre,  th-i  customary  ornaments  of  a  Grecian 
city,  were  not  forgotten.    Caesarea  was  twelve  yearg 
before  it  was  co)npleted. 


H.C.  22.]  HEROD  ATJD  AUOTTSTOT.  96 

Thus  Judaea  was  fast  sinking  into  a  province  of 
the  Romau  empire;  and  Herod,  instead  of  head  of 
the  Hebrew  religious  republic,  became  more  and 
more  on  a  level  with  the  other  vassal  kings  of  Rome. 
His  elder  sons  by  Mariamne,  Alexander  and  Aristo- 
bulus,  were  not  brought  up  in  Jewish  tenets  or  cus- 
toms, but  sent  to  Rome  for  their  education,  where 
they  were  received  into  the  palace  of  Augustus,  and 
treated  with  great  care  and  distinction.     Nothing 
could  exceed  the  estimation  in  which  Herod  stood, 
both  with  the  emperor  and  his  favourite,  Agrippa. 
Caesar  was  said  to  assign  Herod  the  next  place  in 
his  favour  to  Agrippa;   Agrippa  to  esteem  Herod 
higher  than  any  of  his  friends,  except  Augustus. 
Whenevereithervisited  the  eastern  provinces,  Herod 
was  the  first  to  pay  his  homage.     To  see  Agrippa 
he  sailed  to  Mytelene,  and  afterward  entertained 
Augustus  himself  in  Syria.    On  one  occasion,  when 
Agrippa  was  engaged  in  war  near  the  Bosphorus, 
Herod  suddenly  appeared  with  a  large  fleet,  and 
through  all  the  campaign  assisted  him  with  his  per- 
sonal support  and  advice.     Herod  took  advantage 
of  this  alliance  to  enlarge  his  dominions.     A  district 
to  the  east  of  the  sea  of  Genesareth    was  farmed 
by  a  certain  Zenodorus.     This  man  maintained  a 
suspicious   connexion   with    the   freebooters,  who 
dwelt  in  the  mountain  caves  of  Trachonitis.     The 
whole  province  was  made  over  to  Herod,  who,  with 
his  customary  rigour  and  severity,  suppressed  and 
hunted  down  the  robbers.     Zenodorus,  and  some  of 
the  Gadarenes,  who  complamed  of  oppression,  laid 
their  grievances  first  before  Agrippa,  afterward  be- 
fore Augustus  himself;  but  found  their  ears  closed 
against  all  representations  to  the  disadvantage  of 
Herod.     Part  of  this  district  was   created   into  a 
teirarchate  for  his  brother  Pheroras.     At  Paneas, 
near  the  fountains  of  the  Jordan,  where  Caesarea 
Philipni   afterward  stood,  was  built  a  temple  of 
white  marble  to  the  honour  of  Caesar. 


96  HISTORY    OF   THE   JEWS.  [b.C.   19 

But  the  higher  Heiod  advanced  in  the  gcod  graces 
of  the  Romans,  by  these  costly  and  enduring  marks 
of  his  adulation,  the  lower  he  sank  in  the  good  will 
of  his  jealous  Jewish  subjects.  They  suspected 
him,  not  without  reason,  of  a  fixed  design  to  hea- 
thenize their  nation  and  country.  Neither  his  muni- 
ficence m  diminishing  their  annual  tax  one-third, 
nor  his  severities,  could  suppress  their  deep  though 
secret  murmurs.  He  exercised  a  stern  and  vigilant 
police,  interdicted  all  fraternities  and  assemblies, 
occasionally  surprised  the  most  disaffected,  and 
hurried  them  to  the  Hyrcania  (his  Bastile),  whence 
they  never  returned.  He  was  even  said  to  walk  the 
streets  in  disguise,  to  detect  secret  conspiracies,  and 
form  a  judgment  of  the  popular  feeling;  at  one  time 
he  had  determined  to  exact  a  general  oath  of  alle- 
giance, but  the  stricter  and  more  powerful  of  the 
Pharisees,  and  the  Essenes,  an  ascetic  fraternity, 
openly  refusing  compliance,  he  thought  it  better  to 
urge  the  matter  no  further. 

At  length  he  determined  on  a  measure,  which  he 
hoped  would  at  the  same  time  employ  the  people, 
and  ingratiate  himself  with  all  classes,  the  rebuild 
ing  the  temple  in  its  former  pride  and  magnificence. 
The  lapse  of  five  hundred  years,  and  the  sieges 
which  it  had  undergone,  as  it  was  the  great  military 
post  of  the  nation,  had  much  dilapidated  the  struc- 
ture of  Zorobabel.  But  the  suspicious  Jews  beheld 
the  work  of  demolition  commence  with  the  utmost 
jealousy  and  apprehension,  lest,  under  pretence  ot 
repairing,  the  king  should  destroy  entirely  their 
sanctuary  of  their  God.  The  prudence  of  Herod 
calmed  their  fears ;  he  made  immense  preparations 
before  he  threw  down  the  old  building:  the  work 
proceeded  with  the  greatest  regularity,  and  the  na- 
tion saw  with  the  utmost  pride  a  new  fabric  of  more 
regular  and  stately  architecture  crowning  the  brow 
of  Moriah  with  its  glittering  masses  of  w/^He  mar 


B.C     17.j  THE  soys  OF  MATITAMNE  9' 

ble  and  pinnacles  of  gold.  Yet  even  while  the  lom- 
pie  was  proceecliiiT,  Herod  ni;untained  his  douttle 
character;  he  presided  at  the  Olympic  games,  made 
magnificent  donations  for  their  support,  and  the 
Jewish  monarch  was  nominated  perpetual  president 
of  this  solemn  festival  of  Greece.  On  the  other 
hand,  Agrippa,  on  an  excursion  into  Juda>a,  during 
which  Herod  showed  him  all  his  great  works,  oifered 
one  hundred  oxen  in  the  temple,  and  feasted  the 
whole  people. 

Biit  the  declining  days  of  Herod  were  to  be  dark- 
ened with  a  domestic  tragedy,  as  melancholy  aud 
awful  as  those  of  his  earlier  life.     His  sumptuous 
palaces  were  again  to  resound  with  strife,  mourn- 
ing, and  murder.     Never  was  an  instance  in  whi(;h 
the   heathen   might    recognise   so  distinctly  their 
avenging  Nemesis  ;  or  those  of  purer  faith  the  pro- 
vidence of  a  just  and  holy  God,  making  cruelty  its 
own  avenger,  and  leaving  crime  to  work  its  late, 
though  natural  consequences,  horror,  ruin,  and  deso- 
lation.    It  might  have  seemed,  that  the  spirit  of  the 
injured  Mariamne  hovered  over  the  devoted  house, 
and  involving  the  innocent  as  well  as  the  guilty  in 
the  common  niin,  designated  the  dwelling  of  her 
murderous  husband  as  the  perpetual  scene  of  misei-y 
and  bloodshed.     On  the  return  of  Alexander  and 
Aristobulus,  the  two  sons  of  Mariamne,  to  Jerusa- 
lem,  they   were    received,   notwithstanding    their 
Roman  education,  with  general  enthusiasm.     The 
grace  and  beauty  of  tneir  persons,  their  affable 
manners,  above  all  the  blood  of  the  ancient  Asmo- 
ncan  princes,  which  flowed  in  their  veins,  rendered 
them  objects  of  the  deepest  interest  to  the  whole 
Hebrew  nation.     Herod  married  them  :  Alexander 
to  Glaphyra,  the  daughter  of  Archelaus,  king  of 
Cappadocia  ;  Aristobulus  to  Mariamne,  the  daughter 
of  Salome.    Notwithstanding  this,  the  envious  mind 
of  Salome,  the  sister  of  Herod,  sickened  at  theii 


58  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS.         [b.C.  13-2 

praises.  Both  her  conscience,  and  that  of  her  brother 
Pheroras,  repmarhed  thorn  with  tli"ir  share  in  the 
murder  of  Manamne ;  they  apprehended  direct 
vengeance,  on  the  accession  of  the  young  prince;^. 
The  youths  themselves,  perhaps,  spoke  without 
much  discretion  or  reserve  about  their  mother's  fate ; 
and  rumours,  aggravated  by  Salome  and  her  party, 
began  to  spread  abroad  that  they  announced  them- 
selves as  her  future  avengers.  For  three  years  these 
insinuations  made  no  deep  impression  on  the  mind 
of  Herod,  who  was  justly  proud  of  the  popularity 
of  his  sons  ;  but  while  he  was  absent  with  Agrippa, 
in  his  war  near  the  Bosphorus,  during  which  period 
he  obtained  for  the  Jews  of  Asia  Minor  a  ratification 
of  all  their  privileges,  which  the  Greeks  had  en- 
deavoured to  wrest  from  them ;  these  sinister  re- 
ports began  to  obtain  much  strength  and  consist- 
ency, and  consequently  more  credit  with  the  suspi- 
cious father.  Herod  resorted  to  a  most  dangerous 
measure,  in  order  to  subdue  the  pride  of  his  sons, 
and  make  them  more  entirely  subservient  to  his 
will.  He  sent  for  his  elder  son,  Antipater,  whom  he 
formerly  had  by  Doris,  the  wife  whom  he  divorced 
to  marry  Mariamne,  and  set  him  up  as  a  sort  of 
counterpoise  to  the  popularity  and  hopes  of  Alexan- 
der and  Aristobulus.  The  dark,  designing,  and 
unscrupulously  ambitious  Antipater  entered  mto  all 
the  plots  of  Salome  and  Pheroras;  and,  as  Hercd 
had  permission  from  Rome  to  bequeath  his  crown 
♦o  whichever  of  his  sons  he  chose,  he  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  alienating  his  father's  affections  from  the 
sons  of  Mariamne.  Herod,  to  place  him  more  on 
a  level  with  his  rivals,  introduced  him  to  Agrippa, 
and  sent  him  in  the  suite  of  his  powerful  friend  to 
Rome.  From  Rome  the  artful  youth  steadfastly 
pursued,  by  means  of  letters,  his  insidious  designs, 
till  the  mind  of  Herod  was  so  inflamed,  that  he  de- 
termined to  accuse  his  sons  before  the  tribunal  of 


B.C.  lO.j  ANTIPATIR  99 

Augrustus  The  king  of  Judsa  and  the  two  royal 
youths  appeared  before  the  emperor  at  Aquileia. 
Herod  opened  the  charge  by  accusing  them  of  un- 
natural obstinacy  and  disobedience,  and  of  entering 
into  criminal  practices  against  his  life.  Shocked  at 
this  dreadful  charge,  the  youths  stood  silent,  unable 
to  exculpate  themselves,  without  criminating  their 
jealous  and  cruel  father.  Their  situation,  and  still 
more  their  si'ence,  and  the  modest  defence,  into 
which  they  at  length  entered,  excited  the  deepest 
mterestin  their  favour;  and  Augustus,  with  that 
temperance  and  moderation  which  distinguished  all 
his  actions  after  he  became  emperor,  succeeded  in 
reconciling  the  father  to  his  children.  Herod  re- 
turned with  them  to  Jerusalem.  Still,  however,  in- 
fatuated in  favour  of  Antipater,  he  declared  him  his 
heir ;  in  default  of  his  issue,  the  succession  was  to 
pass  to  the  sons  of  Marianme.  A  short  and  deceit- 
ful peace  ensued,  during  which,  Herod,  having 
finished  his  splendid  city  of  Caesarea,  solemnly 
dedicated  it,  at  a  great  festival,  to  the  emperor,  and 
instituted  quinquennial  games  to  his  honour.  He 
founded  at  the  same  time  the  towns  of  Antipatris, 
Cypron,  and  Phasaelis ;  and  built  a  lofty  tower  in 
Jerusalem,  called  likewise  after  the  name  of  his  elder 
brother  Phasael.  Before  long,  the  domestic  dissen- 
sions broke  out  anew  with  greater  violence.  Anti- 
pater, sometimes  insidiously  exculpating,  sometimes 
artfully  accusing  his  brothers,  kept  the  mind  of 
Herod  in  a  continued  fever  of  suspicious  excite 
ment.  The  king's  own  favourite  brother,  Pheroras 
increased  his  wretchedness.  He  had  become  so 
nifatuated  with  the  love  of  a  female  slave,  as  to 
refuse  the  hand  of  one  of  Herod's  daughters.  Not 
long  after,  on  the  offer  of  another  daughter,  Phero- 
ras consented  to  break  off  his  connexion  with  the 
slave.  But  before  the  espousals,  he  again  changed 
his  niind,  and  rpfused  to  conclude  the  marriage 


iOO  HISTORY    OP   THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  9 

Pheroras  was  a  still  worse  enemy  to  the  peace  ol 
Herod.  He  instilled  into  the  mind  of  Alexander, 
that  his  father  secretly  cherished  a  guilty  passion 
for  his  wife  Glaphyra.  Alexander  boldly  ques- 
tioned Herod  about  this  scandalous  imputation. 
•iPheroras,  to  avoid  the  fury  of  his  justly  offended 
brother,  laid  the  plot  to  the  instigation  of  Salome, 
who  vindicated  herself  with  great  energy.  Yet 
these  two  dangerous  inmates  for  some  time  lost 
their  influence  in  the  court.  But  the  wily  Anti- 
pater  still  remained;  the  sons  of  Mariamne  were 
every  day  accused  of  new  plots  ;  sometimes  with 
perverting  the  eunuchs  who  held  the  chief  offices 
about  the  royal  person,  from  whom  they  were  said 
to  have  discovered  the  secret  and  feminine  artifices 
which  Herod  used,  to  disguise  the  advance  of  old 
age ;  sometimes  with  designing  the  death  of  their 
father;  or  with  a  design  of  flying  to  Rome,  or  with 
entering  into  treasonable  correspondence  with  the 
Parthians.  Night  and  day  these  charges  were  re- 
peated; the  whole  court  became  a  scene  of  gloom, 
suspicion,  and  distrust.  Friend  shrunk  from  friend; 
every  society  swarmed  with  spies;  men  accused 
each  other,  from  personal  and  private  grounds  of 
animosity.  Sometimes  their  evil  practices  recoiled 
on  their  own  heads ;  when  the  evidence  was  insuf- 
ficient, Herod,  disappointed  of  his  victims,  wreaked 
his  vengeance  on  the  accusers.  Those  who  fre- 
quented the  presence  of  the  sovereign,  were 
suspected  of  sinister  designs ;  those  who  stood 
aloof,  were  self-convicted  of  disloyalty.  Whoever 
had  at  any  time  shown  marks  of  favour  or  attach- 
ment to  the  suspected  sons  of  Mariamne,  though 
his  own  most  firm  and  steadfast  friends,  fell  into  dis- 
grace. At  length,  all  the  confidential  slaves  of 
Alexander  having  been  put  to  the  rack,  some  kind 
of  evidence  was  wrung  from  their  extorted  con- 
fessions, and  the  unhappy  youth  committed  to  prison 


B.C.  8  7. J    BANDITTI  DEFEATED  BY  HEROD.  101 

and  loaded  with  chains.  Here  he  adopted  a  straiijre 
and  desperate  iiiciisurc  ;  he  s.;nt  fi  i;r  papers  to  liis 
father,  filled  with  the  most  extravagant  and  impro- 
bable treasons,  in  all  of  whieh  he  avowed  his  parti- 
cipation, but  implicated  Salome,  Pheroras,  and  all 
the  most  influential  and  faithful  ministers  of  his 
father.  Herod  was  worked  up  to  a  piteh  of  frenzy, 
persons  of  all  ranks  were  daily  seized,  and  eiiher 
put  to  the  torture,  or  executed  at  once. 

At  lenfrth  Archelaus,  king  of  Cappadocia,  the 
father-in-law  of  Alexander,  arrived  at  the  court  of 
Jerusalem.  By  first  dexterously  humourino;  the 
frenzy  of  Herod,  and  pretending-  to  enter  into  his 
suspicions ;  afterward  by  arguing  dispassionately 
the  improbability  of  the  accusations,  he  succeeded 
in  reconciling  the  father  and  son.  and  Alexander 
was  reinstated  in  freedom  and  favour. 

At  this  period  Herod  was  not  v/ithout  anxiety 
arising  from  foreign  disturbances.  With  all  his 
vigour  and  severity  he  had  never  entirely  suppressed 
the  banditti  of  the  Trachonitis.  Encouraged  by  the 
secret  protection  of  the  Arabs,  this  lawless  race 
connnenced  new  depredations.  Obodes  vvas  at  that 
time  king  of  Arabia  Petrea,  but  all  the  authority 
was  in  the  hands  of  Syllfeus.  This  Syllabus  had  at 
oiie  time  proposed  to  marry  Salome,  the  sister  of 
Herod ;  but  the  abjuration  of  his  religion  being  de- 
manded as  the  price  of  the  connexion,  he  broke  off 
the  match,  declaring  that  he  should  be  stoned  by  the 
Arabians  for  such  a  compliance.  The  troops  of 
Herod  pursued  the  banditti  into  the  dominions  ol 
Obodes,  destroyed  Repta,  their  strong  hold,  and  dis- 
comfited an  Arabian  force  which  espoused  their 
party.  This  was  represented  by  Syllojus,  at  Rome, 
as  a  wanton  and  unprovoked  aggression  upon  the 
kingdom  of  Arabia.  The  credit  of  Herod  began  to 
waver;  but  he  immediately  despatched  the  eloquent 
Nicolaus  of   Damascus  (an  historian  whose  con- 


10 J  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  5 

temporary  life  of  Herod  's  unfortunately  lost)  to  the 
Roman  Court,  aivi  thro-.igh  his  address  the  cause 
assumed  a  better  aspect,  and  was  finally  settled  not 
only  to  his  exculpation,  but  to  his  honour.  Augus- 
tus had  even  determined  to  confer  on  Herod  the 
kingdom  of  the  Nabathean  Arabians :  but  the  dread- 
ful dissensions  of  his  family,  which  had  again  broken 
out  with  greater  fury  than  ever,  induced  the  cautious 
emperor  at  least  to  delay  his  munificent  intention. 
Antipater,  Salome,  and  Pheroras,  had  again  obtained 
the  ear  of  Herod.  He  wrote  to  Rome  the  most 
dreadful  charges  against  the  sons  of  Mariamne ;  and 
Augustus,  after  endeavouring  to  sooth  the  mad- 
dened spirit  of  the  father,  consented  that  the  sons 
should  be  brought  to  trial  at  Berytus.  Saturninus 
and  Volumnius,  the  governors  of  Syria,  presided  in 
the  court.  The  only  fact  which  was  clearly  proved 
against  them  was  a  design  of  flying  beyond  the 
power  of  their  suspicious  father;  but  so  strong 
were  the  charges,  and  so  vehement  the  exertions  of 
Herod,  who  acted  as  his  own  advocate,  examining 
witnesses,  and  reading  documents  with  the  strongest 
and  most  violent  emphasis,  that  a  verdict  of  con- 
demnation was  at  length  extorted  from  a  majority 
of  the  council.  The  unhappy  youths,  who  had  not 
been  permitted  to  make  their  defence,  awaited  theii 
doom  in  silence.  Yet  still  Herod  wanted  courage 
to  execute  his  own  barbarous  design.  The  whole 
people,  particularly  the  army,  looked  on  in  deep  but 
suppressed  interest,  till  one  Teron,  a  gallant  soldier, 
openly  expressed  the  general  feeling  in  the  presence 
of  the  monarch.  His  interference  turned  out, 
eventually,  fatal  to  himself  and  to  the  sons  of 
Mariamne.  He  was  accused  of  having  tampered 
with  the  barber  of  Herod  against  his  life ;  and  Alex- 
ander was  implicated  as  privy  to  the  crime.  The 
Hon  of  the  barber  to  save  his  father's  life,  confirmed 
the  accusation.     Teron  was  put  to  death  on  the 


B.C.  6.]  TREAt.TIKEY  OF  ANTIPATER.  103 

»pot,  and  the  final  order  issued  that  Alexander  and 
his  brother  should  be  straiigfled  at  Sebaste.  Eit};(  r 
on  this  or  on  some  similar  occasion,  his  imperial 
protector,  Augustus,  uttered  this  bitter  sarcasm — 
that  he  had  rather  be  one  of  Herod's  swine  than  one 
of  his  sons. 

The  crime  did  not  remain  long  unavenged ;  it 
recoiled  with  dreadful  force  against  almost  all  who 
•were  implicated.  The  low-born  wife  of  Pheroras 
had  connected  herself  with  the  Pharisaic  party; 
and  when,  on  the  refusal  of  7000  of  this  faction  to 
take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  Augustus  and  to 
Herod,  they  were  heavily  fined,  she  discharged  the 
whole  of  the  mulct.  "Rumours  began  to  spread 
abroad  of  prophecies,  which  declared  that  God  in- 
tended to  transfer  the  government  of  his  people 
from  the  line  of  Herod  to  that  of  Pheroras.  Phe- 
roras was  commanded  to  separate  himself  from  his 
wife,  to  whom  all  these  intrigues  were  attributed. 
He  refused,  and  lost  all  the  favour  with  which  he 
had  been  once  regarded  by  his  brother  and  bene- 
factor. Yet,  when  a  short  time  after  he  fell  ill,  and 
lay  on  his  death-bed,  the  kindly  feelings  of  Herod 
revived,  and  he  visited  him  with  fraternal  tender- 
ness. On  the  death  of  Pheroras  suspicions  began 
to  arise  that  his  malady  was  not  in  the  course  of 
nature :  two  of  his  freednien  openly  charged  his 
wife  with  having  poisoned  him.  Herod  ordered  a 
strict  investigation  of  the  transaction :  in  the  pro- 
cess a  darker  and  more  horrible  secret  came  to  light. 
Antipater,  the  beloved  son,  for  whom  he  had  im- 
brued his  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  own  children — 
Antipater,  the  heir  of  his  kingdom,  was  clearly 
proved  to  have  conspired  with  Pheroras  to  poison 
his  old  and  doting  father,  and  thus  to  secure  and  ac- 
celerate his  own  succession.  The  wife  of  Pheroras 
acknowledged  the  whole  plot,  and  declared  that  the 
affectionate  conduct  of  Herod  to  Pheroras,  on  hh 


104  HISTORY    OF   THE   JEWS.  [b.C.  5 

deatli  bed,  had  melted  the  heart  of  the  fratricide 
who  had  commaiidt^d  her  to  tlirow  into  the  fire  the 
subtle  poison  which  had  already  been  prefared. 
His  wife,  Mariamne,  daughter  of  Simon  the  Hitrh 
Priest,  was  implicated  in  the  conspiracy :  he  repu- 
diated her  immediately,  deposed  her  father,  and  ap- 
pointed Mattathias  to  the  high  priesthood.  Anti- 
pater  was  at  Rome  ,  and  the  horror-stricken  Herod 
dissembled  his  detection  of  the  conspiracy ;  yet  still 
obscure  intimations  spread  abroad,  which,  however, 
did  not  reach  the  ears  of  Antipater.  Triumphing 
m  the  success  of  his  intrigues  and  the  unbounded 
promises  of  support  which  he  had  purchased  at 
Rome — confident  in  his  speedy  if  not  immediate  in- 
heritance of  the  throne — in  all  the  pride  of  success- 
ful guilt,  and  the  malignant  assurance  that  his  rivals 
were  entirely  removed  by  death,  Antipater  landed 
at  Caesarea.  The  once-crowded  port  seemed  a 
solitude  ;  no  acclamations  rose  around  him,  no  de- 
putations waited  upon  him  at  his  landing;  the  few 
people  who  met  turned  aloof,  or  looked  on  as  if  they 
now  dared  to  hate  him  undisguisedly ;  every  one 
seemed  in  possession  of  some  fearful  secret,  of 
which  he  alone  was  ignorant.  It  was  too  late  to 
fly:  he  was  constrained  to  dissemble  his  terrors, 
and  proceed  to  Jerusalem.  There  he  was  immedi- 
ately summoned  before  the  tribunal  of  Herod,  who 
sat  with  Varus,  the  Roman  governor  of  Syria,  for 
his  assessor.  The  proofs  of  his  guilt  were  full  and 
conclusive :  he  was  condemned  without  the  least 
hesitation.  Herod,  already  afflicted  by  his  last 
mortal  malady,  delayed  the  execution,  but  in  the 
mean  time  made  his  final  alterations  in  his  will. 
He  bequeathed  the  kingdom  to  Antipas,  passing 
over  Archelaus  and  Philip,  who  were  supposed  to 
be  implicated  in  the  conspiracy  of  Antipater.  He 
left  splendid  bequests  to  Caesar,  to  his  wife  Julia,  tc 
her  sons,  his  friends,  and  even  his  freedman.     Thus 


B.C.  O.J  DISEASES  OF  HEROD.  MM 

the  ^reat  and  magnificent  Herod  lay,  afflicted  in 
body  by  the  most  painful  and  loathsome  malady, 
tormented  in  mind  by  the  ingratitude  of  his  favourite 
sen — perhaps  with  remorse  for  the  murder  of  those 
of  Mariamne.  His  last  hours  were  still  further  im- 
bittered  by  the  turbulence  and  disaffection  of  his 
subjects. 

Among  the  innovations  of  Herod  nothing  offended 
the  eyes  of  the  zealous  Jews  more  than  a  large 
golden  eagle,  which  he  had  placed  over  the  great 
gate  of  the  temple.  Some  daring  and  enthusiastic 
youths,  instigated  by  two  celebrated  teachers, 
named  Judas  and  Matthias,  conspired  to  tear  down 
the  offensive  emblem.  On  a  rumour  of  Herod's 
death,  they  put  their  design  in  execution.  Being 
apprehended,  they  boldly  justified  their  conduct. 
Herod  at  first  assumed  something  like  moderation: 
he  assembled  the  chiefs  of  the  people,  reproached 
them  with  the  ungrateful  return  which  they  made 
for  his  munificence  in  rebuilding  the  temple,  which 
the  Asmonean  princes  had  left  in  decay;  and  only 
displaced  Mattathias,  the  High  Priest,  who  was  sus- 
pected to  have  encouraged  the  enterprise.  The 
most  criminal  of  the  actual  assailants  and  their 
teachers  were  burnt  alive.  But  now  the  disorder  of 
the  king  made  sensible  progress ;  a  slow  fire  seemed 
creeping  through  all  his  vital  parts :  he  had  a  rabid 
appetite  which  he  dared  not  gratify  on  account  of 
internal  ulcers,  and  dreadful  pains,  particularly  in 
the  colon.  Dropsical  symptoms  appeared  in  his 
feet,  which  were  swoln,  and  exuded.  Ulcers,  which 
bred  worms,  preyed  on  the  lower  region  of  his  belly 
and  the  adjacent  parts.  His  breathing  was  difficult : 
and  violent  spasms,  which  seemed  to  give  him  un- 
natural strength,  convulsed  his  frame.  He  sought 
relief  from  the  warm  bituminous  baths  of  CallirlKje, 
but  r^-tunied  to  Jericlio  without  improvement. 
There  the  frenzy  of  his  malady  working  on  the 
r.— I 


106  HISTORY    OP    THE   JEWS  JBO.  4. 

natural  sternness  of  his  disposition,  he  is  said  to 
have  imagined  a  kind  of  testamentary  cruelty, 
almost  too  horrible  to  be  believed :  he  determined 
to  extort  a  universal  mourning  for  his  death  from 
the  reluctant  people.  He  commanded  some  of  all 
the  chief  families  in  Judaea  to  be  seized,  shut  up  in 
the  Hippodrome,  and  strictly  enjoined  his  sister 
Salome  that,  immediately  he  expired,  the  guards 
should  be  let  loose,  and  an  unsparing  massacre 
commence.  Thus  a  wide,  and  general,  and  heart- 
felt wailing  would  spread  throughout  all  the  land 
with  the  news  of  his  death.  But  the  dying  requests 
of  kings  proverbially  fail  of  their  accomplishment, 
and,  happily  for  human  nature,  this  sanguinary 
injunction  was  disregarded. 

Among  these  atrocities  of  the  later  days  of  Herod, 
what  is  called  the  Massacre  of  the  Innocents  (which 
took  place  late  in  the  year  before,  or  early  in  tlie 
same  year  with,  the  death  of  Herod,  four  years 
before  the  vulgar  era  of  Christ,)  passed  away  un- 
noticed. The  murder  of  a  few  children,  in  a  small 
village  near  Jerusalem,  would  excite  little  sensa- 
tum  among  such  a  succession  of  dreadful  events, 
except  among  the  immediate  sufferers.  The  jea- 
lousy of  Herod  against  any  one  who  should  be  bom 
as  a  King  in  Judata — the  dread  that  the  high  religious 
spirit  of  the  people,  might  be  re-excited  by  the  hope 
of  a  real  Messiah — as  well  as  the  summary  manner 
in  which  he  endeavoured  to  rid  himself  of  the  object 
of  his  fears,  are  strictly  in  accordance  with  the 
relentlessness  and  decision  of  his  chara(;ter. 

At  length,  just  before  his  death,  the  ratification  of 
the  sentence  against  Antipater  arrived  from  Rome. 
It  found  Herod  in  a  paroxysm  of  torment  so  great 
that  he  had  attempted  to  lay  violent  hands  on  him- 
self. The  rumour  of  his  death  induced  Antipater  to 
make  a  desperate  attempt  to  bribe  the  keeper  of  his 
prison      This  last  offence  was  fatal.     Herod  just 


B.C.  4.  J  DEATH  OF  HEB  )9.  107 

raised  himself  up  in  his  bed  to  give  the  mandate  for 
his  execution,  and  t'l^^ii  fell  b;i'-1< — had  only  lane 
once  more  to  remodel  his  will ;  and  thus,  dispensing 
death  on  one  hand,  and  kingdoms  on  the  other 
expired 


108 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


(  109  ) 


BOOK  XII. 

THE    HKRODfAN    FAMILY. 

Mrehtlaus — Roman    Governors — Pontius    Pilate — Herod    Antnml 
Philip — Accession  of  Caligula — Agrippa — Persecutions  in  ^Uaatt' 
dria — Philo — Babylonian  Jews — Jigrippa  King. 

The  executioner  had  made  frightful  ravages  in 
the  family  of  Herod ;  but  still  a  powerful,  if  united, 
race  survived.  Ten  wives  of  Herod  are  mentioned 
in  history.  The  Jirst,  Doris,  the  mother  of  Anti 
pater  the  last  and  the  only  unpitied  victim  of  his 
veng-cance.  The  second,  Mariamne,  the  Asmonean 
princess,  the  mother  of  the  unfortunate  Aristobulus 
and  Alexander,  and  of  two  daughters,  Salampsio 
and  Cypros.  Aristobulus,  by  Bernice  his  cousin, 
left  four  children — 1,  Herod  Agrippa,  who  became 
distinguished  at  a  later  period— 2,  Herodias,  infa- 
mous for  her  divorce  of  her  first  husband,  her  uncle 
Philip,  and  her  incestuous  marriage  with  Herod 
Antipas — 3,  Aristobulus — 4,  Herod.  The  third  wife 
of  Herod  the  Great  was  Mariamne,  daughter  of 
iSimon  the  High  Priest,  the  mother  of  Herod  Philip. 
The  name  of  Herod  Philip  was  effaced  from  the  will 
of  his  father,  on  account  of  his  mother's  supposed 
connexion  with  the  conspiracy  against  his  life. 
The  fourth,  a  niece  by  the  brother's  side ;  the  fifths 
a  niece  by  the  sister's  side,  whose  names  do  not 
appear,  and  who  had  no  issue.  The  sixth,  Malthace, 
a  Samaritan,  the  mother  of — 1,  Archelaus — 2,  Herod 
Antipas — 3,  Olympias.  It  was  among  this  family 
that  his  dominions  were  chiefly  divided.  The 
seventh,  Cleopatra  of  Jerusalem,  the  mother  of— 
i.  Hi'i-od— 2,  Philip,  Tetrarch  of  Trachoniiis.  The 
eighth,  Pellas,  the  mother  of  Phasaelis.  The  nintkj 
Phedra,  mother  of  Roxana.  THe  tenth,  Elpis,  th^ 
mother  o<"  Salome. 


110  HlSfORV    OF   THE    JEWS.  [b.C    4 

The  will  of  Herod  had  designated  the  sons  of 
Malthace  as  his  successors.  To  Herod  Antipai 
were  assigned  Galilee  and  Peraea — to  Archelaus, 
Idumnea,  Samaria,  and  Judaea.  Archelaus  at  once 
assumed  the  direction  of  affairs  in  Jerusalem.  The 
funeral  of  his  father  was  the  first  object  of  his  care. 
The  lifeless  remains  of  Herod  seemed  to  retain  his 
characteristic  magnificence.  The  body  was  borne 
aloft  on  a  bier,  which  was  adorned  with  costly  pre- 
cious stones.  The  linen  was  of  the  richest  die; 
the  winding-sheet  of  purple.  It  still  wore  the  dia- 
dem, and,  above  that,  the  golden  crown  of  royalty — 
the  sceptre  was  in  its  hand.  The  sons  and  relatives 
of  Herod  attended  the  bier.  All  the  military  force 
followed,  distributed  according  to  their  nations. 
First  his  body-guard — then  his  foreign  mercenaries, 
Thracians,  Germans,  Gauls — then  the  rest  of  the 
army,  in  war  array.  Last  came  five  hundred  of  his 
court-officers,  bearing  sweet  spices,  with  which  the 
Jews  embalmed  the  dead.  In  this  pomp  the  pro 
cession  passed  on,  by  slow  stages,  to  the  Herodium, 
a  fortified  palace  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Jericho. 

Archelaus,  according  to  Jewish  usage,  mourned 
for  seven  days ;  but  rumours  were  industriously 
propagated  by  his  enemies,  that,  while  he  wore  the 
decent  garb  of  sorrow  during  the  day-time,  his  nights 
were  abandoned  to  revelry,  and  to  the  most  undis- 
guised rejoicing  among  his  own  private  friends. 
At  the  end  of  this  time,  he  gave  a  splendid  funeral 
banquet  to  the  whole  people,  and  then  entered  the 
temple  in  great  pomp  amid  general  acclamations ; 
and,  taking  his  seat  on  a  golden  throne,  delivered  an 
address  to  the  multitude.  His  speech  was  concilia 
tory  and  temperate.  He  alluded  to  his  father's 
oppressions — thanked  the  people  for  their  loyal  re- 
ception— promised  to  reward  their  good  conduct — 
but  declined  assummg  the  royal  diadem  till  his 
fatlrVs  testament  should  be  ratified  at  Rome.    The 


B.C.   4.]  ACCESSION  OF  ARCIIELATJS.  Ill 

people  vied  with  each  other  in  the  vehemence  of 
tlieir  applause,  but  their  acclaniations  were  mingled 
with  demands  by  no  means  so  acceptable  to  the 
royal  ear.  Some  called  for  a  diminution  of  the 
public  burden ;  others  for  the  release  of  the  pri- 
soners, with  whom  Herod  had  crowded  the  dun- 
geons ;  some  more  specifically  for  the  entire  aban- 
donment of  the  taxes  on  the  sale  of  commoc.ities  in 
the  markets,  which  had  been  levied  with  the  utmost 
rig-our.  Archelaus  listened  with  great  affability, 
promised  largely,  and,  having  performed  sacrifice, 
retired. 

While  he  was  preparing  for  his  voyage,  the  zea- 
lous party  which  had  been  concerned  in  the  demo- 
lition of  the  Eagle,  collected  their  strength.  They 
bewailed  with  frantic  outcries  the  death  of  Matthias, 
the  teacher,  and  his  seditious  pupils,  w^ho  had  even 
been  deprived  of  the  rites  of  burial  by  the  unrelenting 
rigour  of  Herod — and  no  unintelligible  execrations 
against  the  deceased  monarch  were  mingled  with 
their  lamentations.  They  demanded  the  summary 
punishment  of  all  who  had  been  employed  in  the 
recent  executions,  the  expulsion  of  the  High  Priest, 
and  the  substitution  of  one  more  legally  appointed. 
Archelaus  attempted  to  allay  the  tumult  by  concili- 
atory measures.  He  sent  officer  after  officer  to 
sooth,  to  expostulate,  to  admonish,  to  threaten. 
Argument  and  menace  were  alike  unavailing.  The 
clamorous  multitude  would  listen  to  neither,  and  the 
sedition  grew  every  day  more  alarming.  The  dan- 
ger was  more  urgent  on  account  of  the  approaching 
Passover,  which  assembled  the  Jews  from  all  quar- 
ters of  the  country,  and  even  strangers  from  the 
most  remote  parts  of  the  world.  If  it  was  difficult 
at  any  time  to  keep  the  fanatical  multitude  of  .leru- 
salem  in  check,  it  was  still  more  so,  when  this 
formidable  addition  was  made  to  their  numbers. 
The  leaders  of  the  faction  held  their  meetings  in  the 
temple   itself,  where  they  were   abundantly  sup- 


112  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

plied  with  provisions  by  their  friends,  who  did  not 
scruple  to  beg  in  their  behalf.  It  was  high  time  to 
interfere,  and  Archelaus  sent  a  centurion  with  a  band 
of  soldiers  to  disperse  the  multitude,  to  apprehend 
the  ringleaders,  and  bring  them  before  his  tribunal. 
They  arrived  while  the  sacrifice  was  offering.  The 
zealots  inflamed  the  multitude,  who  attacked  the 
soldiers,  many  of  whom  were  stoned ;  the  rest,  with 
the  centurion,  made  their  escape,  but  with  great 
difficulty,  and  dreadfully  maimed.  This  done,  the 
sacrifice  quietly  proceeded.  Archelaus  found  it 
necessary,  if  he  would  not  at  once  throw  up  all  his 
authority,  to  act  with  greater  vigour.  He  gave 
orders  for  a  large  body  of  troops  to  advance.  The 
cavalry  cut  off  the  strangers  from  the  provinces  who 
were  encamped  without  the  city,  from  the  zealots 
who  occupied  the  temple.  The  multitude  fled  on 
all  sides;  those  of  Jerusalem  dispersed;  the  strangers 
retreated  to  the  mountains ;  3000  were  slain.  Arche 
laus  issued  a  proclamation,  commanding  all  the 
strangers  to  return  to  their  homes ;  they  obeyed 
with  reluctance,  and,  to  the  universal  horror,  the 
great  national  festival,  thus  interrupted,  was  not 
concluded. 

Archelaus  set  out  for  Rome,  accompanied  by 
Nicolaus  of  Damascus,  and  many  of  his  relatives, 
all  with  the  ostensible  purpose  of  supporting  his 
claim  to  the  throne,  some  with  the  secret  design  of 
thwarting  his  advancement.  Among  the  latter  was 
Salome,  the  false  and  intriguing  sister  of  Herod. 
At  Caesarea  he  met  Sabinus,  the  Procurator  of 
Syria,  who  was  hastening  to  Judaea,  in  order  to 
make  himself  master  of  the  treasures  left  by  Herod, 
and  to  obtain  military  possession  of  the  country, 
by  seizing  the  fortresses  which  that  king  had  built. 
Through  the  interference  of  Varus,  the  prefect  of 
Syria,  Sabinus  agreed  to  suspend  his  march,  to 
leave  Archelaus  in  possession  of  the  treasures,  and 
to  undertake  no  measure  till  ihe  arrival  of  an  edict 


AKCHELAUS  IN  ROME.  US 

from  Rom  3.  But  no  sooner  had  Archelaus  set  sail, 
and  Varus  returnod  to  Antiocti,  than  Sabinus 
marched  to  Jerusalem,  seized  the  palace,  sum- 
moned the  keepers  of  the  treasures  to  render  up 
their  accounts,  and  the  military  officers  to  cede  the 
fortresses.  All,  however,  remained  faithful  to  their 
charge,  and  refused  to  comply  without  direct  orders 
from  Rome. 

Archelaus  had  to  encounter  a  formidable  opposi- 
tion to  his  attainment  of  the  royal  dignity,  not  merely 
from  tne  caprice  or  pride  of  the  Emperor,  but  from 
intrigues  set  on  foot  in  his  own  family.  His  younger 
brother,  Herod  Antipas,  arrived  in  Rome  to  maintain 
his  own  pretensions  to  tlie  crown,  grounded  on  a 
former  will  of  Herod,  made,  as  his  party  asserted, 
when  his  father  was  in  a  saner  state  of  mind  than 
at  his  decease,  and  in  which  he  was  named  first. 
His  mother  Malthace,  Salome  his  aunt,  Ptolemy  the 
brother  of  Nicolaus  of  Damascus,  a  great  favourite 
with  his  father,  and  Irenaeus,  a  man  of  great  elo- 
quence and  ability,  espoused  the  party  of  Antipas. 
Augustus  appointed  a  solemn  hearing  of  the  cause, 
and  in  that  haughty  spirit  which  delighted  in  dis- 
playing kings  publicly  pleading  for  their  thrones 
before  the  footstool  of  Roman  subjects,  appointed 
Cains,  the  son  of  Agrippa,  and  his  own  daughter 
Julia,  afterward  noted  for  her  profligacy,  to  preside 
on  the  occasion.     Antipaler,  the   son  of  Salome, 
conducted  the  cause  of  Herod  Antipas.      He  in- 
sisted on  the  former  will  of  Herod — accused  Arche- 
laus of  assuming  the  crown  without  the  sanction  of 
the  Emperor — of  unseemly  rejoicings  at  the  death 
of   his   father — and  of    wanton    acts   of  tyranny 
against  the   people — urging    and    aggravating   the 
dreadful  slaughter  during  the  tumult  of  the  Pass- 
over.    The  eloquent  Nicolaus  of  Damascus  main- 
tained tlie  cause  of  Archelaus  with  his  accustomed 
ability.     The  Emperor  took  time  to  delioeiate  on 
his  judgment 


114  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [b.c4 

While  these  affairs  were  pending-  at  Rome,  intel- 
li^-ence  arrived  ihnt  Jndxi  wn?  in  a  state  of  insur- 
rection. The  rapacity  aaid  insolence  of  Sabinus 
had  exasperated  the  people,  already  in  a  state  of 
tumultuary  excitement.  Varus  advanced  to  Jeru- 
salem, seized  the  ringleaders,  and  re-established 
order— but  unfortunately  left  Sabinus  behind  him  to 
maintain  the  peace,  the  sole  object  of  tliis  un- 
scrupulous commander  was  to  find  an  opportunity 
and  excuse  for  seizing  the  tempting  treasures  of 
this  opulent  city,  as  well  those  left  by  Herod,  as  the 
more  inestimable  riches  contained  in  the  temple. 
All  his  acts  tended  to  goad  the  people  to  insur- 
rection. 

The  Pentecost  drew  on,  and  the  Jews  gathered 
together  from  all  quarters  with  the  deliberate  inten- 
tion of  wreaking  their  vengeance  on  Sabinus.  From 
both  the  Galilees,  from  Idumaea,  from  Jericho,  and 
from  the  provinces  beyond  Jordan,  vast  multitudes 
came  crowding  mto  the  city.  One  party  encamped 
in  the  circus  to  the  south,  one  occupied  a  position 
to  the  north,  another  to  tlie  west  of  the  temple; 
and  thus  shut  up  the  single  legion  of  Varus  in  the 
Palace.  Sabinus  sent  pressing  messages  to  Varus 
for  relief.  In  the  meantime  he  himself,  for  with 
more  than  Roman  rapacity  he  does  not  seem  to  have 
possessed  Roman  valour,  ascending  the  lofty  tower 
of  Phasaelis,  gave  orders  to  his  troops  to  make  a 
desperate  sally,  and  force  their  way  to  the  temple. 
The  Jews,  though  repelled  by  the  disciplined  valour 
of  the  legionaries,  fought  with  courage,  and,  mount- 
ing on  the  roofs  of  the  cloisters  or  porticoes  which 
surrounded  the  outer  court  of  the  temple,  annoyed 
the  assailants  with  stones,  javelins,  and  other  mis- 
siles. The  Romans  at  length  set  fire  to  the  cloisters, 
the  roofs  of  which  were  made  of  wood,  cemented 
with  pitch  and  wax;  and  the  whole  maguificent 
range  became  on*;  immense  conflagration :  the 
Sliding  melted,  the  columns  fell,  and  all  the  Jews 


ADVENTURERS  IN  ARMS  IN  ALL  QUARTERS.  115 

upon  the  roof  were  either  crushed  to  death  among 
the  blazing  niins,  or  lay  victims  to  the  unrelenting 
fury  of  the  enemy :  some  of  the  more  desperate  fell 
on  their  own  swords :  not  one  escaped.  But  the 
riames  could  not  repress  the  daring-  rapacity  of  the 
Uoman  soldiery  :  they  broke  into  the  temple,  plun- 
dered on  all  sides,  and  even  seized  the  sacred 
treasures,  from  which  Sabinus  secured  the  greater 
part  of  400  talents ;  the  rest  was  secreted  by  the 
pillagers.  Maddened  with  this  outrage,  the  bravest 
of  the  Jews  assembled  from  all  quarters,  besieged 
the  palace,  but  offered  Sabinus  his  life  if  he  and  his 
legion  would  evacuate  the  city.  Many  of  Herod's 
soldiers  deserted  to  the  Jews  ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  two  distinguished  officers,  Rufus,  the  com- 
mander of  Herod's  cavalry,  and  Gratus,  the  captain 
of  his  infantry,  with  3000  Samaritan  troops,  joined 
Sabinus.  The  Jews  pressed  the  siege  with  vigour, 
and  began  to  mine  the  palace ;  at  the  same  time 
urging  Sabinus  to  quit  the  city,  and  leave  them  to 
their  own  government ;  but  Sabinus  would  not  trust 
their  faith. 

The  whole  country  was  in  tlie  same  dreadful  state 
of  anarchy.  The  severe  military  police  of  Herod 
was  now  withdrawn  or  suspended,  on  account  of 
the  uncertainty  of  the  succession.  The  Romans 
exercised  all  the  oppression  without  affording  the 
;  protection  of  despotic  sovereignty :  and  at  the  period 
when  the  nation  was  in  the  highest  state  of  excite- 
ment— some  looking  forward,  with  sober  patriotism, 
to  the  restoration  of  their  national  independence — 
others,  of  more  ardent  zeal,  to  the  fulfilment  of  their 
national  prophecies  in  the  person  of  some  mighty 
conqueror,  the  fame  of  whose  destined  birth  at  this 
period  prevailed,  according  to  the  expression  of  the 
Roman  histori-.tn,  throughout  all  the  East, — the 
whole  country  was  without  any  regular  govern- 
ment; adventurer  after  adventurer  sprang  up  in 
every  quarter,  not  one  of  wliom  was  too  base  or  too 


118  HISTORY    OF   THE   JEWS. 

desperate  to  assemble  a  number,  either  of  danng 
robbers  or  deluded  fanatics,  around  his  standard 
Two  thousand  of  Herod's  troops  having'  been  dis- 
missed, spread  ever  Judaea,  subsisted  on  plunder,  and 
besieg-ed  Achiab,  a  cousin  of  Herod,  who  took  refuge 
in  the  mountains.  One  Judas,  son  of  Hezekias,  a 
noted  captain  of  banditti,  surprised  Sepphoris, 
seized  the  treasures,  and  plundered  the  armory, 
from  wnich  he  supplied  his  followers,  who  became 
the  terror  of  the  district.  Simon,  a  slave  of  Herod, 
a  man  of  great  personal  strength  and  beauty,  had 
the  audacity  to  assume  the  diadem.  He  plundered 
the  palace  in  Jericho,  and  several  of  the  other  royal 
residences  ;  his  followers  burnt  that  of  Betharamp- 
tha,  near  the  Jordan.  He  was  at  length  attacked  by 
Gratus,  taken  in  a  ravine,  and  beheaded.  Another 
adventurer,  Athronges,  a  common  shepherd,  with 
his  four  brothers,  men  of  extraordinary  personal 
strength  and  courage,  collected  a  predatory  band, 
and  waged  open  war  both  against  the  Romans  and 
the  royal  party.  Athronges  also  assumed  the  dia- 
dem. He  had  the  boldness  to  attack  a  Roman  co- 
hort, which  was  escorting  a  convoy  of  provisions 
and  arms,  near  Emmaus.  One  centurion  and  400 
men  were  killed ;  the  rest  escaped  with  difficulty, 
leaving  the  dead  on  the  field  of  battle.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  rapacity  and  cruelty  of  this  band. 
They  were  not  subdued  till  long  after,  when  one 
brother  having  been  slain  in  battle  by  Gratus,  the 
other  in  a  conflict  against  Ptolemy,  and  the  eldest 
taken,  the  youngest,  who  survived,  broken  in  spirit, 
and  finding  his  troops  dispersed,  surrendered  to 
Archelaus. 

In  consequence  of  urgent  entreaties  from  Sabi- 
nus.  and  dreading  the  peril  in  which  his  legion  was 
placed.  Varus,  the  Prefect  of  Syria,  assembled  at 
Ptolemais  the  two  legions  remaining  in  Syria,  and 
four  troops  of  horse,  with  some  allies  from  Berytus, 
and  some  Arabian  bands.    Part  he  sent  forward 


DECREE    OF    AFGrSTITS.  117 

mto  Galilee ;  they  recovered  and  burnt  SepphoriB, 
and  subdued  the  whole  distrii^t.  With  the  rest  he 
advanced  in  person  to  Samaria,  which  had  taken 
no  part  in  the  late  insurrections.  His  Arabian 
allies  committed  dreadful  depredations,  burning  anc 
ravaging  on  all  sides :  he  himself  gave  orders  foi 
the  burning  of  Emmaus,  in  revenge  for  the  loss  ol 
the  cohort  defeated  by  Athronges.  On  his  approach 
to  Jerusalem,  the  forces  from  the  country  broke  up 
their  siege  of  Sabinus  and  dispersed :  the  inhabit- 
ants submitted,  and  laid  the  whole  blame  of  the 
insurrection  on  the  strangers.  Sabinus,  ashamed 
of  meeting  Varus,  stole  away  to  the  coast,  and  took 
ship  for  Rome.  Varus  spread  his  troops  over  the 
country,  and  seized  the  notorious  ringleaders  in  the 
recent  tumults ;  2000  were  crucified,  the  rest  par- 
doned. Finding,  however,  tliat  the  rapacity  of  his 
own  forces,  particularly  his  Arabian  allies,  from 
their  hatred  of  Herod,  increased  the  mischief,  he 
dismissed  the  latter,  and  advanced  only  with  his 
own  force  on  a  body  of  10,000  men,  which  ap- 
peared in  arms  on  the  borders  of  Idumaea.  These 
insurgents  were  persuaded  by  Achiab  to  surrender: 
the  leaders  were  sent  to  Rome  for  trial ;  a  general 
amnesty  was  granted  to  the  rest.  Augustus  treated 
the  criminals  with  lenity,  excepting  those  who  were 
related  to  the  house  of  Herod,  whom  he  ordered  to 
be  put  to  death  for  their  unnatural  hostility  to  the 
head  of  their  own  family. 

In  the  meantime  the  great  decision  which  was  to 
award  the  dominions  of  Herod  remained  in  suspense. 
A  deputation  of  500  Jews  arrived  at  Rqme,  to  peti- 
tion for  the  re-establisliment  of  their  ancient  con- 
stitution, and  the  total  suppression  of  the  kingly 
government.  They  were  joined  by  8000  of  their 
countrymen,  resident  in  Rome.  An  audience  was 
granted,  in  which  they  enlarged  on  the  oppressions, 
cruelties,  summary  executions,  and  enormous  taxa- 
tions of  the  elder  Herod,     The  whole  Herodiai* 


118  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS.  [b.C.  3 

family  now  found  it  expedient  to  give  up  their  dis- 
sensions, and  unite  their  cominou  interest.  Herod 
Philip  arrived  at  the  same  time  to  support  his  own 
claims. 

At  length  the  imperial  edict  appeared :  it  con- 
firmed for  the  most  part  the  will  of  Herod.  Arche- 
laus  was  appointed  to  the  sovereignty  of  Judaea, 
Idumaea,  and  Samaria,  under  the  title  of  Ethnarch  ; 
that  of  king  was  reserved  as  a  reward  for  future  good 
conduct.  Herod  Antipas  obtained  Galilee  and 
Peraja ;  Philip — Anranitis,  Trachonitis,  Paneas,  and 
Batanea.  The  Samaritans  were  rewarded  for  their 
peaceable  behaviour  by  the  reduction  of  one  quarter 
of  their  tribute.  The  chief  cities  of  Archelaus  were 
Jerusalem,  Sebaste  (Samaria),  C-Esarea,  and  Joppa. 
Gaza,  Gadara,  and  Hippo,  as  Greek  towns,  were 
added  to  the  prefecture  of  Syria.  The  annual 
revenue  of  Archelaus  was  600  talents.  The  be- 
quests of  Herod  to  Salome  were  confirmed ;  and  in 
addition  she  obtained  the  towns  of  Jamnia,  Azotus 
and  Phasaelis,  and  a  palace  in  Ascalon :  her  yearly 
revenue  was  sixty  talents.  The  wealth,  left  to 
Augustus,  he  distribnted,  chiefly  as  a  dower,  to  two 
unmarried  daughters  of  Herod,  whom  he  united  to 
two  sons  of  Pheroras.  He  retained  nothing  except 
some  magnificent  plate,  as  a  memorial  of  his  friend. 

At  this  juncture  an  impostor  made  his  appearance, 
who  assumed  the  name  of  Alexander,  the  murdered 
son  of  Mariamne.  So  like  was  he  in  person  to  that 
ill-fated  youth,  and  so  well  had  he  been  tutored  by 
an  unprincipled  adventurer,  who  was  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  court  of  Herod,  that  wherever  he 
went,  in  (Jrete  and  xMelos,  where  a  number  of  Jews 
resided,  he  was  received  with  all  the  attachment 
which  the  nation  felt  to  the  race  of  their  Asmonean 
princes:  he  was  liberally  furnished  with  money, 
and  boldly  set  out  for  Rome  to  demand  his  inherit 
ance.  The  Jews  crowded  forth  to  meet  him,  and 
escorted  him  into  the  city  with  loud  ac^clamations 


A.C.7.]    ARCHELAUS  DEPOSED  AKD  BANISHED.     119 

Celadus,  one  of  the  Emperor's  freedmen,  who  had 
been  familiarly  acciuainted  witli  the  sons  of  Mari- 
amne,  was  sent  to  investigate  the  case :  he  was  im- 
posed ujion  like  the  rest.  Not  so  Augustus  him- 
self, who,  on  sending  for  the  false  Alexander,  ob- 
served that  his  hands  were  hard  and  horny,  and  that 
hi3  whole  person  wanted  the  delicacy  and  softness 
of  the  royal  youth.  Still  both  he  and  his  tutor  sup- 
ported a  strict  cross-examination,  till  at  length 
Augustus  himself  led  the  youth  aside,  and  promised 
to  him  a  free  pardon  if  he  would  confess  the  im- 
posture. The  vouth,  either  supposing  himself  de- 
tected, or  awedby  the  imperial  presence,  acknow- 
ledged the  deception ;  and  Caesar,  seeing  that  he  was 
of  a  strong  and  muscular  make,  ordered  him  as  a 
rower  to  his  galleys.  His  instructer  was  put  to 
death. 

Archelaus  (B.C.  3)  assumed  the  dominion  of 
Judaea,  and  governed  with  great  injustice  and 
cruelty.  Such  is  the  unanimous  report  of  all  his- 
torians, confirmed  by  his  condemnation,  after  a 
solemn  hearing  before  Augustus.  Yet  few  facts 
have  transpired  by  which  posterity  may  judge  of  the 
equity  of  the  sentence.  He  displaced  Joazar  from 
the  pontificate,  and  substituted  his  brother  Eleazar. 
Eleazur  in  his  turn  was  supplanted  by  Jesus,  son  of 
Siva.  The  unlawful  marriage  of  the  Ethnarch  with 
Glaphyra,  the  daughter  of  Archelaus,  king  of  Cap- 
padocia,  and  widow  of  his  brother  Alexander,  and 
his  divorce  of  his  own  wife,  Mariamne,  gave  great 
offence  to  his  zealous  subjects.  He  repaired  the 
palace  at  Jericho  with  great  magnificence,  and  paid 
much  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  palm-trees 
in  the  neighbourhood.  Such  are  the  barren  inci- 
dents of  a  reign  of  nine  years;  at  the  end  of  which 
Archelaus  was  hastily  summoned  to  Rome,  while 
sitting  at  a  banquet.  His  cause  was  formally  heard, 
his  brothers  as  well  as  his  subjects  being  his  ac- 
cusers.    He  was  banished  to  Vienne.  in  Gaul ;  his 


120  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

estates  confiscated,  and  Judaea  reduced  to  a  Rom&u 
province.  Thus  the  sceptre  finally  departed  from 
Judah:  the  kingdom  of  David  and  Solomon — of 
the  Asmonean  princes  and  of  Herod,  sank  into  a 
district,  dependant  on  the  prefecture  of  Syria,  though 
administered  by  its  own  governor,  a  man  usually  of 
the  equestrian  order. 

At  this  period  of  the  Jewish  history,  when  the 
last  semblance  of  independence  passed  away,  and 
Judaea  became  part  of  a  Roman  province,  it  may 
be  well  to  cast  a  rapid  view  over  the  state  of  the 
people,  and  their  more  important  existing  institu- 
tions. 

The  supreme  judicial  authority  was  exercised  by 
the  Sanhedrin,   the   great  ecclesiastical   and  civil 
council.    The  origin  of  this  famous  court  is  involved 
in  obscurity.     The  Jews,  it  has  been  observed,  took 
pride  in  deducing  its  lineal  descent  from  that  esta- 
blished by  Moses  in  the  wilderness.    The  silence 
of  the  whole  mtervening  history  to  the  captivity, 
has  been  considered  fatal  to  these  lofty  pretensions. 
Others  date  its  origin  from  the  captivity:  others 
again  from  the  reorganization  of  the  Jewish  polity 
by  the  Maccabees.      The   Sanhedrin  consisted  of 
seventy-one  persons,  partly  priests,  partly  Levites, 
partly  elders.     The  High  Priest,  whether  of  right 
or  not  is  much  disputed,  usually  sat  as  president: 
he  was  entitled  Nasi,  or  prince.     At  his  right  hand 
sat  the  Ab-beth-Din,  the  father  of  the  council,  or 
vice-president:  on  his  left,  the  Wise  Man,  perhajts 
the  most  learned  among  the  doctors  of  the  law. 
The  constitution  of  the  rest  of  the  council,  and  their 
mode  of  election,  are  involved  in  much  obscurity. 
The  qualifications  of  a  member  of  this  court,  ai 
stated  by  the  Jewish  writers,  are  curious.     "  They 
must  be  religious,  and  learned  in  arts  and  languages. 
Some  added,  in  their  fanciful  attachment  to  the 
number  seventy,  that  they  must  understand  seventy 
languages !   They  must  have  some  skill  in  physict 


THE    BAKHEDRIN.  121 

Anthmetic,  astronomy  astrology,  and  be  acquainted 
with  what  belonged  to  magic,  sorcery,  and  idolatry, 
that  they  may  know  how  to  judge  of  them.  They 
must  be  without  maim  or  blemish  of  body ;  men  of 
years,  but  not  extremely  old,  because  such  are  com- 
monly of  too  great  severity ;  and  they  must  btfatheit 
of  children,  that  they  might  be  acquainted  with  ten- 
demess  and  compassion.''^ 

The  council  sat  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle  round 
the  President,  whose  place  was  between  the  Ab- 
beth-Din  and  the  Wise  Man.  At  each  end  was  a 
secretary;  one  registered  the  votes  of  acquittal — 
the  other  of  condemnation. 

At  first  the  Sanhedrin  sat  in  a  room  in  the 
cloister  of  the  court  of  the  Israelites,  called  Gazith. 
They  afterward  removed  successively  to  other 
places.  The  proper  period  of  sitting  was  all  the 
time  between  the  morning  and  evening  service. 
The  Sanhedrin  was  the  great  court  of  judicature :  it 
judged  of  all  capital  offences  against  the  law  :  it  had 
the  power  of  inflicting  punishment  by  scourging 
and  by  death.  Criminals  capitally  condemned  were 
executed  in  four  different  ways ;  by  strangling, 
burning,  slaying  with  the  sword,  and  by  stoning. 

The  Great  Sanhedrin  was  a  court  of  appeal  from 
the  inferior  Sanhedrins  of  twenty-three  judges, 
established  in  the  other  towns. 

The  Sanhedrin  was  probably  confined  to  its  judi- 
cial duties — it  w-as  a  plenarj'  court  of  justice,  and  no 
more — during  the  reigns  of  the  later  Asmonean 
princes,  and  during  those  of  Herod  the  Great  and 
nis  son  Archelaus.  To  the  despotism  of  the  two 
latter  there  was  no  check,  except  an  appeal  to  Rome. 
When  Judaea  became  a  Roman  province  the  Sanhe- 
drin either,  as  is  more  likely,  assumed  for  the  first 
time,  or  recovered  its  station  as  a  kind  of  senate  or 
representative  body  of  the  nation ;  possessed  itself 
of  such  of  the  subordinate  functions  of  the  govern- 
ment as  were  not  actually  admmistered  by  tlie 
II — K 


122  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS 

Roman  procurator ;  and  probably,  on  account  of  the 
frequent  changes  in  the  person  of  the  High  Priest, 
usurped,  in  some  degree,  upon  his  authority.     At  all 

■  events,   they  seem   to   have  been  the  channel  of 

■  intercourse  between  the  Roman  rulers  and  the  body 
of  the  people.  It  is  the  Sanhedrin,  under  the  name 
of  the  chief  priests,  scribes,  and  elders  of  the  people, 
who  take  the  lead  in  all  the  transactions  recorded 
in  the  gospels.  Jesus  Christ  was  led  before  the 
Sanhedrin,  and  by  them  denounced  before  the  tri- 
bunal of  Pilate.  Whether  they  had  lost  or  retained 
the  power  of  inflicting  capital  punishment,  has  been 
debated  with  great  erudition ;  and,  Ime  similar  ques- 
tions, is  still  in  a  great  degree  uncertain. 

The  body  of  the  people,  at  least  all  above  the 
lowest  order,  seem  to  have  addicted  themselves  to 
one  or  other  of  the  two  great  prevailing  sects — the 
Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees.  The  multitude,  though 
not  actually  enrolled  among  the  former,  were  entirely 
under  their  sway,  and  zealously  adhered  to  their 
faction.     In  all  places  of  pubhc  resort  the  Pharisees 
were  always  seen  with  their  phylacteries,  or  broad 
slips  of  parchment,  inscribed  with  sentences  of  the 
law,  displayed  on  their  foreheads  and  the  hems  of 
their  garments :  even  in  the  corners  of  the  public 
streets  they  would  kneel  to  pray ;  and  in  the  temple 
or  synagogues  they  chose  the  most  conspicuous 
stations,  that  their  long  devotions  might  excite  the 
admiration  of  their  followers.     They  fasted  rigor- 
ously, observed  the  sabbath  with  the  most  scrupu- 
lous punctuality,   and  paid   tithes  even  upon  the 
cheapest  herbs.     In  private  societies  they  assumed 
the  superiority  to  which  their  religious  "distinction 
seemed  to  entitle  them;  they  always  took  the  highest 
places.     But  their  morals,  according  to  the  unerring 
authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  were  far  below  their  pre- 
tensions :  they  violated  the  main  principles  of  the 
law,  the  justice  and  humanity  of  the  Mosaic  institu- 
tions, while  they  rigidly  adhered  to  the  most  minute 


SADDtTCEES — HERODIANS.  123 

particulars,  not  merely  of  the  law  itself,  but  of  tra- 
dition likewise.  Still  they  were  the  idols  of  the 
people,  who  reverenced  them  as  the  great  teachers 
and  models  of  virtue  and  holiness.  The  Sadducees 
were  less  numerous  and  less  influential :  for,  besides 
the  want  of  this  popular  display  of  religion,  they 
were  notoriously  severe  in  the  execution  of  the 
national  statutes.  Denying  all  punishment  foi  crime 
in  a  future  life,  their  only  way  to  discourage  delin- 
quency was  by  the  immediate  terrors  of  the  law ; 
and  this  they  put  in  force,  perhaps  with  the  greater 
rigour,  because  their  disbelief  of  future  rewards  and 
punishments  was  represented  by  their  enemies  as 
leading  necessarily  to  Hhe  utmost  laxity  of  morals. 
This  effect  it  would  probably  have  on  many  of  the 
weak  or  licentious :  but  the  doctrine  of  the  Sad- 
ducees, which  fully  recognised  the  certain  punish- 
ment of  guilt  in  this  world  by  Divine  Providence, 
is  not  justly  chargeable  with  these  consequences. 
It  is  singular  that  this  notorious  severity  in  the 
admuustration  of  the  law  is  strongly  exemplified  in 
the  Christian  history.  The  first  persecution  of  the 
apostles  took  place  when  the  Sadducees  were  in 
possession  of  the  high  priesthood,  and  probably 
formed  a  majority  of  the  Sanhedrin  ;*  and  the  High 
Priest  who  put  James  to  death,  was,  in  all  proba- 
bility, of  that  sect. 

Besides  these  two  great  sects,  there  was  a  con- 
siderable party  attached  to  the  persons  of  the  He- 
rodian  family;  who  probably  thought  it  the  best 
interest  of  the  country  to  remain  quietly  under  the 
government  of  native  princes,  and  the  protection  of 
the  Roman  emperors.  This  faction  most  likely 
comprehended  what  may  be  called  the  Grecian 
party ;  rather  inclined  to  Grecian  habits  and  cus- 
toms, than  strongly  attar  hed  to  the  national  insti- 
tutes and  usages. 

\t  a  considerable  distance  from  the  metropolis, 

•  Acts,  V.  17 


124  MWTORY  OP  THE  JEWS. 

m  some  highly  cultivated  oases  ami  J  the  wilder- 
ness on  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea,  were  situated 
the  chief  of  the  large  agricultural  villages  of  the 
Essenes.  According  to  Philo  their  number  wa» 
about  4000.  Almost  in  every  respect,  both  in  their 
rules  and  in  the  patient  industry  with  which  they 
introduced  the  richest  cultivation  mto  the  barren 
waste,  the  Essenes  were  the  monastic  orders  of  the 
Jews.  Among  groves  of  palm-trees,  of  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  picturesque  expression  of  Pliny,  they 
were  the  companions,  and  amid  fertile  fields  won 
from  the  barren  wilderness,  they  passed  their  rigid 
and  ascetic  lives.  They  avoided  populous  cities 
not  from  hatred  of  mankind,  but  from  dread  of  their 
vices.  In  general,  no  woman  was  admitted  within 
their  domains.  Some  of  the  inferior  communities 
allowed  marriage,  but  only  associated  with  their 
wives  for  the  procreation  of  children;  the  highei 
and  more  esteemed  societies  practised  the  most 
rigid  celibacy,  and  entirely  forswore  all  communi- 
cation with  the  other  sex.  Wonderful  nation,  says 
the  Roman  naturalist,  which  endures  for  centuries, 
but  in  which  no  child  is  ever  born.  They  were 
recruited  by  voluntary  proselytes,  or  by  children 
whom  they  adopted  when  very  young,  and  educated 
in  their  discipline.  Among  the  Essenes  all  pleasure 
was  forbidden  as  sin ;  tlie  entire  extinction  of  the 
passions  of  the  body  was  the  only  real  virtue.  An 
absolute  community  of  goods  was  established  in 
their  settlements :  even  a  man's  house  was  not  his 
own ;  another  person  might  enter  and  remain  in  it 
as  long  as  he  pleased.  The  desire  of  riches  M'as 
proscribed;  every  lucrative  employinent,  commerce, 
traffick,  and  navigation  were  forbidden.  They  nei- 
ther bought  nor  sold ;  all  tliey  had  was  thrown  into 
a  common  fund,  from  which  each  received  the 
necessaries  of  life;  but  for  charity,  or  for  the  assist- 
ance of  the  poor  or  the  stranger,  they  might  draw 
as  largely  as  they  would  on  this  general  ••evenue. 


THE   ESSENES.  126 

They  were  all  clothed  alike  in  white  garments, 
which  they  did  not  change  till  they  were  worn  out; 
they  abhorred  the  use  of  oil ;  if  any  one  were  anointed 
against  his  will,  he  scrupulously  cleansed  himself. 
Their  lives  were  regulated  by  the  strictest  forms ; 
they  rose  before  the  sun,  but  were  forbidden  to 
speak  of  any  worldly  business,  and  devoted  all  the 
time  till  break  of  day  to  offering  up  certain  ancient 
prayers,  that  the  sun  might  shine  upon  them.  After 
this  they  received  their  orders  from  the  superior, 
and  went  to  work,  according  to  his  commands,  at 
the  labour  or  craft  in  which  they  were  skilled ;  but 
their  artizans  might  only  work  on  articles  used  in 
peace,  by  no  means  on  swords,  arrows,  or  military 
weapons ;  though  they  carried  arms,  when  they  tra- 
velled, to  defend  themselves  against  robbers.  Having 
worked  till  the  fifth  hour,  eleven  o'clock,  they 
assembled  for  refreshment.  First,  however,  they 
washed,  and  put  on  a  linen  garment ;  they  then  went 
into  a  room  which  no  one  might  enter  who  was  not 
of  their  sect.  After  that  they  entered  the  common 
refectory  as  if  it  were  a  sacred  place;  there  in 
silence  waited  till  grace  was  said;  then  each  received 
his  portion,  from  the  baker  and  the  cook,  of  bread, 
salt,  and  hyssop ;  another  grace  closed  the  meal : 
then,  putting  off  their  sacred  garment,  they  returned 
to  their  toil  till  evening,  when  they  again  assem- 
bled to  supper.  No  noise  or  tumult  was  heard; 
they  spoke  only  by  permission  and  in  turn ;  on  other 
occasions  if  ten  were  met,  one  could  not  speak 
without  the  consent  of  the  nine.  In  company  they 
were  to  avoid  spitting  either  before  them  or  to  the 
right  hand.  They  observed  the  sabbath  with  the 
strictest  precision,  not  even  lighting  a  fire,  or  per- 
forming the  necessities  of  nature.  At  all  other 
times  they  concealed  their  excrements  with  scrupu- 
lous care,  digging  a  pit  a  foot  deep,  lest  the  holy 
light  should  be  defiled.  They  then  washed  them- 
selves  with  great  care.     On  the  sabbath  they  all  J 


126  HISTORY    tiP   THE    JEWS. 

met  in  theii  synagogfiies,  where  the  elders  inter- 
preted the  satred  writings,  explaining  them  chiefly 
by  parables. 

fn  their  religious  opinions  they  differed  from  their 
•  (mntrymen ;  though  they  sent  their  gifts  to  the 
(pmple,  they  offered  no  sacrifices  there.  They 
were  strict  predestinarians.  They  believed  that 
the  body  was  mortal,  the  soul  immortal:  that  the 
soul,  emanating  out  of  the  noblest  and  purest  air, 
is  imprisoned  in  tlie  body,  where  it  is  subjected  to 
severe  trials :  when  released  from  its  corporeal 
bonds,  it  escapes  as  it  were  a  long  servitude,  and 
soars  back  rejoicing  to  its  native  element.  They 
believed,  with  the  Greeks,  in  a  delightful  region 
beyond  the  ocean,  in  which  the  souls  of  the  good 
dwelt  for  ever.  There  rain,  and  snow,  and  parch- 
ing heat  were  unknown,  but  the  air  was  continually 
refreshed  Avith  balmy  and  gentle  breezes  from  the 
sea.  The  souls  of  the  wicked  were  doomed  to  a 
cold  and  gloomy  place  of  everlasting  punishment. 
They  were  great  students  of  their  sacred  books,  and 
especially  of  the  prophetic  writings.  Many  were 
endowed,  according  to  Josephus,  with  that  gift. 
They  studied  likewise  the  nature  and  cure  of  dis- 
eases, and  the  medicinal  properties  of  herbs  and 
minerals.  Their  morals  were  rigid  in  every  respect. 
They  were  bound,  by  solemn  vows,  to  worship 
Mod  and  to  be  just  to  men ;  to  keep  inviolable  faith; 
if  intrusted  with  authority,  to  abstain  from  all  wrong 
Hiid  from  splendid  apparel;  to  love  truth  and  hate 
liars  ;  to  communicate  only  to  the  members  of  the 
so'.'iety  the  tenets  of  the  sect;  to  preserve  their 
sacred  doctrinal  books,  and  the  names  of  the  angels. 
Tliey  paid  the  highest  veneration  to  age:  many  of 
itieni,  from  their  temperate  habits,  lived  to  more 
linn  100  years.  They  abstained  from  all  oaths, 
cuMsidering  an  oath  as  bad  as  perjury.  They  ab- 
horred slavery,  as  an  infringement  of  the  natural 
liberty  of  men.     In  their  civil  constitution,  they 


THE    E8SE?iES.  1 2t 

were  all  equ^i,  as  regards  their  rights,  but  divided 
mto  four  classes ;  of  which  the  superior  class  looked 
down  so  much  on  those  beneath  them,  that,  if 
touched  by  one  of  a  lower  order,  they  were  defiled, 
anl  washed  themselves. 

Tliore  were  Rewards  who  managed  the  common 
stt)ck,  and  officers  who  took  care  of  all  strangers 
who  might  enter  their  towns.  No  one  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  society  without  the  strictest  proba- 
tion ;  the  proselyte  received  a  small  pick-axe,  linen 
ganiients,  and  a  white  dress,  and  so  commenced  his 
year  of  novitiate.  After  having  given  satisfactory 
proof  of  continence  and  temperance  for  that  period, 
he  was  admitted  to  closer  intimacy,  and  to  wash  in 
the  holy  water:  yet  for  two  years  longer  he  re- 
mained on  trial,  and  only  at  the  end  of  that  time 
was  admitted  to  the  common  refectory.  Whoever 
was  guilty  of  anj'  great  crime  was  expelled  from 
the  society — a  fearful  doom !  for  having  sworn  that 
he  would  receive  no  food  but  from  his  own  sect,  the 
outcast  fed,  like  a  beast,  oii«the  grass  of  the  field,  till 
at  length  he  perished  with  hunger.  Sometimes,  if 
at  the  last  extremity  the  criminal  showed  sincere 
repentance,  he  was  readmitted,  from  compassion, 
within  the  society.  But  this  awful  fate  was  inflicted 
with  great  reluctance ;  for  justice  was  administered 
with  the  utmost  care;  and  no  verdict  could  be  given 
unless  a  hundred  were  present;  it  was  then  usu- 
ally irrevocable. 

The  Essenes  were  cruelly  persecuted  by  the 
Romans,  who  probably  entered  their  country  after 
the  capture  of  .Tericho.  They  were  tortured,  racked, 
had  their  bones  broken  on  the  wheel,  in  order  to 
compel  them  to  blaspheme  their  lawgiver  or  eat  for- 
bidden meats.  They  did  not  attempt  to  appease 
their  tormentors;  they  uttered  no  cry,  they  shed  no 
tear;  and  even  smiled  in  tlie  worst  agony  of  torment; 
and  in  steadfast  reliance  on  the  immortality  of  their 
souls,  departed,  rejoi<'ing,  from  life.     These  were 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS  [A  C.  8 

usually  called  practical  Essenes ;  there  was  another 
class  in  Esypt,  called  the  Therapeutae  or  Contem- 
plative. These  were  mystics;  but  they  will  come 
more  closely  under  our  consideration  when  we  enter 
into  the  history  of  the  several  Jewish  settlements  in 
foreign  countries. 

Tiie  origin  of  this  singular  people,  the  Essenes,  ig 
involved  m  obscurity.  Some  have  deduced  them 
from  very  high  antiquity,  but  without  the  slightest 
ground  for  their  ojjinion :  others  derive  them  from 
the  Rechabites,  mentioned  in  the  hitter  period  of  the 
monarchy.  In  some  respects  they  may  seem  to 
have  been  formed  in  imitation  of  the  schools  of  the 
prophets,  some  of  which,  if  not  all,  bound  them- 
selves to  a  severe  and  abstemious  life ;  and  not 
only  does  Josephus  inform  us  that  many  of  the 
Essenes  pretended  to  the  gift  of  prophecy,  but  we 
meet  with  Essene  prophets  in  several  parts  of  the 
later  Jewish  history.  The  main  principles  of  their 
teaets  seem  evidently  grounded  on  that  wide-spread 
Oriental  philosophy,  which,  supposing  matter  either 
the  creation  of  the  Evil  Being,  or  itself  the  Evil 
Being,  considered  all  the  appetites  and  propensities 
of  the  material  body  in  themselves  evil,  and  there- 
fore esteemed  the  most  severe  mortification  the  per- 
fection of  virtue.  The  reverence  for  the  names  of 
thi^  angels  points  to  the  same  source,  and  there  is 
one  ambiguous  expression  in  the  account  of  Jose- 
phus, which,  taken  literally,  would  imply  that  they 
worshipped  the  sun. 

Oa  this  complete  alteration  in  the  civil  state  of 
Ju<!:ea,  P.  Suipicius  Quirinius,  who  had  passed 
tlinjugh  all  the  offices  of  the  Roman  magistracy, 
auil  attained  the  consulate,  was  appointed  to  the 
[jr'ifncture  of  Syria.  The  subordinate  adininistra- 
uon  of  Judtea  was  intrusted  to  Coponius,  a  man  of 
ei.|uestrian  rank.  Quirinius  is  by  some  supposed  to 
have  acted  formerly  as  coadjutor  to  the  Syrian  pre- 
fect, Saturninus,  having  been  appointed  for  the  spe- 


A.C.  8.]  QTIIRINIUS  AND  JUDAS.  120 

lial  purpose  of  conducting  the  general  census  of  the 
population  in  this  rptrion.  This  is  what  is  incor- 
rectly called  the  irem;ral  taxaLioii,  in  our  common 
translation  of  St.  Luke's  gosi)el,  which,  in  fact,  was 
only  a  reg'istry.  Quiriuius  iiad  now  tiie  more  invi- 
dious office  of  taknig  a  second  census,  of  property 
as  well  as  of  persons,  in  order  to  regulate  the  taxa- 
tion exacted  by  the  Roman  goveriunent  from  tiie 
subject  provinces.  The  proud  spirit  of  the  Jews 
submitted  in  sullen  reluctance  to  this  last  mark  of 
subjection.  The  prudence  of  Joazar,  who,  in  what 
manner  it  is  unknown,  had  resumed  the  office  of 
High  Priest,  repressed  all  dangerous  indications  of 
discontent ;  but  tlie  fiercer  spirits  found  a  leader  in 
Judas,  called  the  Galilean,  though  born  in  Gamala, 
a  city  of  Gaulonitis.  He  was  a  man  of  eloquence, 
which  he  employed  on  the  popular  subjects— the 
sovereignty  of  God  over  his  chosen  people — the 
degradation  of  subjection  to  a  foreign  yoke — the 
unlawfulness  of  paying  tribute.  MultiUides  crowded 
around  him :  the  higii-spirited — the  adventurous — 
those  who  were  full  of  burning  zeal  for  their  country 
and  their  law — unhappily  also  the  fierce  and  licen- 
tious. With  his  confederate  Sadoc,  a  Pharisee, 
Judas  formed  a  fourth  sect,  in  addition  to  those  of 
the  Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Essenes.  The  watch- 
word of  his  party  was — We  have  no  other  lord  and 
master  but  God.  But  the  days  were  passed  when 
a  similar  war-cry  had  rallied  the  wliole  nation  under 
the  banner  of  the  Maccabees,  and  won  the  indepen- 
dence of  Judaea  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  '--ir- 
cumstances  of  the  times  were  widely  different ;  the 
national  character  was  altered  for  the  worse ;  the 
power  of  the  oppressor,  who  wielded  all  the  forces 
of  the  western  world  with  Roman  vigour  and  ability, 
irresis-tible ;  and  the  God,  in  whose  name  and  under 
whose  protection  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
Lriumpli,  was  now  about  to  withdraw  his  presence. 
A  kingdom,  not  of  this  rrorld,  was  to  rise  out  of  the 


130  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [a.O-    10 

ruins  of  the  temporal  soverei^ity,  whicn  had  so  long 
remained  among  the  heirs  and  successors  of  David. 
Judas  himself  perished — his  followers  were  dis- 
persed; but  to  the  influence  of  their  tenets,  in  sup- 
port of  which,  numbers  endured  the  most  horrible 
tortures  and  death,  with  the  martyr's  fortitude, 
Josephus  attributes  all  the  subsequent  insurrections, 
and  the  final  ruin  of  the  city  and  the  temple.  The 
Gaulonites  were  the  doctrinal  ancestors  of  the 
zealots  and  assassins  (Sicarii)  of  later  days.  The 
sons  of  Judas  were  true  to  their  father's  precepts, 
and,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter,  shared  his  fate. 

Quirinius,  having  completed  the  sale  of  the  con- 
fiscated goods  which  belonged  to  Archelaus — de- 
posed Joazar,  who  had  become  unpopular,  from  the 
pontificate,  and  substituted  Ananus,  the  son  of  Seth 
— retired  to  Syria.  Coponius  remained  as  governor 
of  the  province.  No  other  in(!ident  of  his  adminis- 
tration is  related,  but  a  singular  story  of  a  wanton 
profanation  of  the  temple  by  some  Samaritans,  who 
stole  in  on  one  of  the  nights  during  the  Passover, 
and  strewed  the  sacred  pavement  with  dead  men's 
bones. 

Coponius  was  succeeded  by  M.  Ambivius,  during 
whose  government  died  Salome,  the  sister  of  Herod, 
leaving  Jamnia  and  her  otlier  territorial  possessions 
to  Livia,  the  wife  of  Augustus.  M.  Ambivius  was 
followed  by  Annius  Rufus.  This  rapid  succession 
of  provincial  governors  took  place  at  the  close  of 
the  reign  of  Augustus ;  his  successor  Tiberius  pur- 
sued a  different  policy.  During  his  reign  of  twenty- 
three  years,  Judaea  had  only  two  rulers,  Valerius 
Gratus  (A.C.  16)  and  Pontius  Pilate  (A.C.  27).  This 
was  avowedly  done  by  Tiberius  on  principles  of 
humanity,  and  implied  a  bitter  sarcasm  on  the  rapa- 
city of  Roman  prefects— "a  rapid  succession  of 
rulers,"  observed  the  shrewd  tyrant,  "only  increases 
the  oppressions  and  exactions  of  the  provinces.  The 
goveruor  who  ajiticiipateg  but  a  short  harvest,  makes 


A.C.    l6.J  DECIUS    MUNDUS.  131 

the  most  of  his  time,  and  extorts  as  much  as  he  ia 
able  in  the  shortest  possible  period.  A  governor 
who  expects  to  remain  longer  in  office,  pillages  on 
a  more  gradual,  and  therefore  less  oppressive  sys- 
tem— it  is  even  possible  that  his  avarice  may  be 
satiated."  He  compared  a  Roman  province  to  the 
poor  wounded  man  in  the  fable,  who  lay  by  the  way 
side  covered  with  flies ;  and  when  a  kind-hearted 
traveller  offered  to  drive  them  away,  declined  his 
service,  as  those  were  already  glutted,  and  would 
only  be  replaced  by  a  more  hungry  swarm.  As  if 
the  governors  of  .Judaea  had  exemplified  the  justice 
of  the  imperial  pleasantry,  tlie  Jews  petitioned  Tibe- 
rius for  a  diminution  of  the  burdens  by  which  they 
were  overwhelmed.  The  decision  was  left  to  Ger- 
manicus,  who  was  then  in  the  East ;  but  whether  an 
inquiry  took  place  is  uncertain.  The  government 
of  Gratus  is  remarkable  only  for  the  perpetual 
changes  which  he  made  in  the  appointment  to  the 
High-Priesthood.  He  deposed  Ananus,  and  substi- 
tuted Ismael,  son  of  Fabi — then  Eleazar,  son  of 
Ananus — then  Simon,  son  of  Camith — and  lastly 
Joseph  Caiaphas,  the  son-in-law  of  Ananus. 

During  this  period  Judsea  enjoyed  tranquillity, 
but  the  Jews  of  Rome  were  exposed  to  a  dreadful 
calamity.  The  rapid  progress  of  foreign  supersti- 
tions, as  they  were  called,  particularly  among  the 
women  of  high  rank,  alarmed  the  vigilance  of  the 
government.  A  young  libertine,  Decius  Mundus. 
had  bribed  the  priests  of  the  Egyptian  Isis,  and  by 
their  means,  in  the  character  and  habit  of  the  god 
Anubis,  had  debauched  the  wife  of  Saturninus,  Paul- 
Una,  a  woman  of  rank  and  virtue,  but  strangely 
infatuated  by  her  attachment  to  the  Egyptian  reli- 
gion. ]\Tun(lns,  boasting  of  the  success  of  his  profli- 
gacy, the  afl'air  was  detected.  Mundus  was  banish- 
ed, the  priests  crucified,  the  temple  razed,  and  the 
statue  of  Isis  thrown  into  the  Tiber.  Just  at  this 
juncture,  some  Jews  were  discovered  to  h'ive  ob- 


132  IllStOtlY  OF  TMK  JE^va.         [a.c  26. 

tained  so  great  an  ascendency  over  the  mind  of 
Fuh  '.a,  a  noble  matron,  as  not  only  to  liave  made 
her  a  proselyte,  but  to  have  extorted  from  her  large 
sums  of  money,  as  offerings  to  the  temple,  which 
they  had  converted  to  their  own  use.  The  Jews 
were  involved  in  the  same  sentence  with  the  Egyp- 
tians ;  they  were  expelled  from  Rome,  perhaps  from 
Italy ;  4000  were  drawn  into  the  army,  and  sent  to 
Sardinia,  where  the  greater  part  fell  victims  to  the 
unwholesome  climate.  Philo  attributes  this  perse- 
cution to  the  intrigues  of  Sejanus,  who  apprehended 
that  the  attachment  of  the  Jews  to  the  person  of  the 
Emperor  might  stand  in  the  way  of  his  daring  de- 
signs ;  and  adds,  that  Tiberius,  having  discovered 
this  after  the  death  of  Sejanus,  issued  an  edict  more 
favourable  to  that  people. 

Up  to  this  period  the  Roman  praetor  seems  to  have 
resided  in  Caesarea,  and  avoided  all  collision  between 
his  troops  and  the  turbulent  zealots  of  the  capital. 
Pontius  Pilate  determined  to  transfer  the  winter 
quarters  of  his  army  from  Samaria  to  Jerusalem. 
The  Romans  had  hitherto  so  far  respected  the  pre- 
judices of  their  subjects,  as  not  to  introduce  their 
standards,  on  which  appeared  not  only  the  offensive 
image  of  the  eagle,  but  likewise  that  of  Caesar, 
within  the  walls  of  the  city.  The  troops  entered 
the  gates  by  night,  and  in  the  morning  the  people 
were  shocked  and  surprised  at  beholding  the  effigy 
of  the  Emperor  publicly  displayed  in  their  streets. 
They  abstained  from  all  violence,  but  a  numerous 
deputation  set  out  to  Caesarea,  and  for  many  days 
entreated  Pilate  to  remove  the  standards.  Pilate 
treated  the  affair  as  an  insult  on  the  Emperor,  and, 
weary  of  their  importunity,  concealed  some  troops, 
witli  which  he  surrounded  and  hoped  to  disperse 
(hem.  When  the  soldiers  appeared,  tlie  Jews  with 
one  accord  fell  on  tlie  ground,  declaring  that  they 
were  ready  to  die  rather  than  sanction  the  infringe- 


rOKTITJS  PILATR.  13^ 

ment  oi  their  law.  Pilate  had  the  prudence  to  with- 
draw the  obnoxious  emblpms.* 

The  refractory  spirit  of  JerusHicm  broke  out  l.ii 
other  occasions.  Pilate  seized  some  of  the  revenue 
of  the  temple,  and  applied  it  to  the  useful  and  mag- 
nificent design  of  building  an  aqueduct,  which  was 
to  bring  a  supply  of  water  to  the  city  from  the  dis- 
tance of  200  stadia — about  25  miles.  The  populace 
rose,  and  interrupted  the  workmen.  Pilate,  having 
dressed  some  of  his  soldiers  in  the  common  garb 
of  the  country,  with  their  swords  concealed,  com- 
manded them  to  mingle  with  the  people,  and  when 
they  began  their  usual  obstruction  to  his  works,  to 
fall  upon  and  disperse  them.  The  soldiers  executed 
their  commission  with  gi'eater  cruelty  than  Pilate 
had  intended,  and  committed  dreadful  havoc  among 
the  unarmed  multitude. 

Such  was  the  man,  not  naturally  disposed  to  un- 
necessary bloodshed,  but,  when  the  peace  of  his 
province  appeared  in  danger,  stern,  decided,  and 
reckless  of  humnn  life — on  all  other  occasions  by 
no  means  regardless  of  ingratiating  himself  in  the 
popular  favour,  before  -whose  tribunal  Jesus  Christ 
was  led.  Pilate  was  awed  perhaps  by  the  tranquil 
dignity  of  Jesus,  or  at  least  saw  no  reason  to  ap- 
prehend any  danger  to  the  Roman  sovereignty,  from 
a  person  of  such  peaceful  demeanour — he  probably 
detected  the  malice,  though  he  might  not  clearly 
comprehend  the  motive,  of  the  accusation  brought 
forward  by  the  priests  and  populace.  Still,  how- 
ever, he  slirunk  from  the  imputation  of  not  beiii« 
"  Caesar's  friend,"  and  could  not  think  the  life  of  one 
man,  however  innocent,  of  much  importance  in 
comparison  with  the  peace  of  the  country,  and  his 
own  favour  at  Rome.  In  this  dilemma,  he  naturally 
endeavours  to  avoid  the  responsibility  of  decision, 

*  It  is  difficult  to  (k'l  ide  wlietliei  llie  accniiiil  given  by  Pliilo,  of  the 
hauuiiig  Up  (if  ceilaiii  bucklers  in  Herod's  palace,  is  a  verMiou  of  tb% 
■anie  sKiry  oi  a  diflereijl  one 


134  HISTORV  OF  THE  JEWS. 

by  transferring  the  criminal  to  the  tribunal  of  Herod, 
lo  whose  jurisdiclioii  Christ  as  a  Galilean  belonged, 
and  who  happened  to  be  at  Jerusalem  for  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Passover.  At  length,  however,  find 
ing  the  uproar  increasing,  he  yields  without  much 
further  scruple,  and  the  Roman  soldiery  are  per- 
mitted to  become  the  willing  instruments  of  the 
Jewish  priesthood,  in  the  crucifixion  of  that  man  in 
whom  Pilate  himself  could  find  no  fault.  We  leave 
to  the  Christian  historian  the  description  of  this  event, 
and  all  its  consequences.  Yet  our  history  will  have 
shown  that  the  state  of  the  public  mind  in  Judaea, 
as  well  as  the  character  of  Pilate,  the  chief  agent  in 
the  transaction,  harmonize  in  the  most  remarkable 
manner  with  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelists.  The 
general  expectation  of  the  Messiah — the  impatience 
of  the  Roman  sovereignty,  fostered  by  the  bold  and 
turbulent  doctrines  of  Judas  the  Galilean — the  extra- 
ordinary excitement  of  the  more  fanatical  part  of 
the  people,  which  led  them  to  crowd  round  the 
banner  of  each  successive  adventurer,  who  either 
assumed  or  might  assume  that  character — the  rigid 
prudence  of  the  Chief-priests,  lest  the  least  indica- 
tion of  revolt  should  compromise  the  safety  of  the 
city  and  the  temple,  and  expose  the  whole  nation  to 
the  jealous  resentment  of  the  Roman  governor— 
these  circumstances  of  the  times  sufficiently  account 
for  the  reception  which  such  a  teacher  as  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  met  with  in  Jerusalem.  Appearing,  as  he 
did,  with  doctrines  so  alarming  to  the  authority  of 
the  priesthood — so  full  of  disappointment  to  the 
fanatic  populace — so  repugnant  to  the  national  pride, 
as  implying  the  dissolution  of  the  Mosaic  constitu- 
tion, and  the  establishment  of  a  new  and  more  com- 
prehensive faith — and,  above  all,  openly  assuming 
the  mysterious  title,  the  Son  of  God — it  excites  less 
astonishment,  than  sorrow  and  commiseration,  that 
the  passions  of  such  a  people  should  at  once  take 
arms,  a*,  d  proceed  to  the  most  awful  violeiice  agams/ 


A.O.  36.]  DISGRACE  OF  PILATE.  13 

a  Teacher  whose  tenets  were  so  much  too  pure  and 
spiritual  for  tlieir  eoinpreheiisioa,  whose  character 
was  so  remote  from  their  preconceived  notions  of 
the  expected  Messiah. 

St.  Luke  relates  another  characteristic  act  of  vio- 
lence committed  during-  the  administration  of  Pilate, 
of  which  the  Jewish  records  take  no  notice,  the  mas- 
sacre of  certain  Galileans  while  they  were  offering 
sacrifice.  Some  have  supposed  that  these  might  be 
followers  of  Judas  the  Gaulomte. 

An  act,  which  displayed  the  same  vigilant  jea- 
lousy of  popular  commotion,  and  the  same  reckless 
disregard  of  human  life,  led  to  the  recall  and  the 
disgrace  of  Pilate.  The  Samaritans  had  hitherto 
remained  in  peaceful  submission  to  tlie  Roman  go- 
vernment ;  they  are  stated  occasionally  to  have 
shown  their  old  enmity  against  the  Jews,  by  way- 
laying those  of  the  northern  provinces  who  passed 
on  tlieir  way  to  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem.  Now, 
however,  the  whole  province  was  thrown  into  a  state 
of  excitement  by  an  impostor,  who  promised  to  dis- 
cover certain  vessels,  accoiding  to  his  statement, 
(grounded  doubtless  upon  some  old  tradition)  buried 
by  Moses  on  Mount  Gerizim.  Multitudes  appeared 
m  arms  at  a  village  named  Tirabatha,  at  the  foot  ol 
the  mountain.  Pilate,  with  his  usual  vigilance  and 
decision,  ordered  some  troops  to  station  themselves 
on  the  road,  attacked  the  village,  slew  the  leaders, 
and  dispersed  the  rest. 

The  Samaritan  senate  carried  their  complaints 
before  Vitellius,  the  president  of  Syria,  the  father  of 
that  Vitellius,  who  afterward  obtained  the  empire 
Vitellius  sent  imiiiediate  orders  to  Pilate  to  withdraw 
M)  Rome,  and  there  answer  to  the  charges  which 
•vere  made  against  him. 

Vitellius  then  in  person  visited  Jerusalem;  he  was 
received  with  great  magnificence,  and  was  present 
auring  the  celebration  of  the  Passover.  He  re- 
niitted  the  tax  on  the  sale  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth 


.36  HISTORY  CF  THE  JEWS 

He  likewise  conferred  a  benefit  on  the  nat  on,  which 
vas  considered  of  sipfnal  importance.  By  a  remark- 
able  accident  the  custody  of  the  High  Priest's  robe 
tif  office  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans. 
Hyrcanns  had  been  accustomed  to  lay  them  up  in 
the  Baris,  the  castle  near  the  tempi','.  This  usage 
was  continued  by  his  successors.  Herod  having 
converted  the  Baris  into  the  strong  fortress  called 
Antonia,  it  afterward  became  the  chief  place  of  arms 
to  the  Roman  garrison.  The  Jews,  tenacious  of 
ancient  customs,  did  not  think  of  removing  these 
important  vestments.  They  thus  fell  into  the  power 
of  the  foreign  rulers,  who,  as  the  High  Priest  could 
not  officiate  without  them,  might  impede  or  prevent 
♦he  performance  of  the  temple  ceremonies.  They 
were  kept  in  a  stone  building,  and  sealed  by  the  seal 
of  the  High  Priest,  from  whence  they  were  taken 
with  great  ceremony,  seven  days  before  the  feast, 
and  purified ;  after  they  had  been  used,  they  were 
replaced  with  the  same  care.  Vitellius  gave  up  the 
robes  to  the  High  Priest,  and  they  were  transferred 
to  a  treasury  within  the  temple.  Vitellius  degraded 
Oaiaphas  from  the  High  priesthood,  and  substituted 
Jonathan,  son  of  Ananus,  or  Annas.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Antioch. 

During  this  period,  the  other  two  sons  of  Herod 
had  reigned  in  peace  over  their  respective  pro- 
vinces ;  Herod  Antipas,  as  Tetrarch  of  Galilee,  in 
Sepphoris  his  capital ;  Philip,  in  the  district  beyond 
the  Jordan.  Both  had  endeavoured  to  ingratiate 
themselves  with  the  reigning  emperor  by  the  costly 
flattery  of  founding  or  ornamenting  cities  to  be 
called  after  his  name.  Philip  called  Paneas, 
Caesarea;  and  Bethsaida,  Julias.  Antipas  called 
Betharampha,  Julias,  after  the  wife  of  the  emperor, 
and  founded  Tiberias  on  the  lake  of  Genesareth. 
The  city  having  been  built  over  an  ancient  cemetery, 
Herod  was  obliged  to  use  force  and  bribes  to  induce 
the  people  to  settle  there.     Philip  was  a  prince  of 


H.t.  37.J       YOVtR  OF  BEHOD  AGRIPI'A.  13? 

great  jxistice  and  humanity;  wherever  he  went,  the 
divar\  of  justice  followed  him  ;  and  directly  any  ap- 
peal was  made  to  his  tribunal,  a  court  was  formed 
and  the  cause  decided.  He  died  about  this  time 
without  issue,  his  territory  was  annexed  to  the  pro- 
vince of  Syria. 

Herod  had  seduced  and  married  Herodias  his 
iiiece,  the  wife  of  Herod  Philip,  a  son  of  Herod  the 
Great,  by  Mariamne,  daughter  of  Simon  the  High 
Priest,  not  Philip  the  Tetrarch.  It  was  on  her  ac- 
count that  he  put  to  death  John  the  Baptist.  This 
marriage  led  him  into  danger  as  well  as  into  crime. 
His  repudiated  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Aretas,  king 
of  Arabia.  This  prince  took  arms  to  avenge  the 
wrong  and  insult  offered  to  his  daughter,  and  in  a 
battle,  the  whole  army  of  Herod  was  cut  off.  Herod 
sent  to  entreat  the  interference  of  Tiberius,  who 
gave  orders  to  Vitellius  to  chastise  the  insolence  of 
Aretas.  Vitellius  set  his  troops  in  motion  to  advance 
on  Petra,  the  Arabian  capital.  His  march  lay  through 
Judaea,  but  the  heads  of  the  people  sent  an  earnest 
request  that  he  would  not  display  his  standards, 
which  were  adorned  with  images,  within  their  terri- 
tory. Vitellius  complied ;  he  sent  his  army  across 
the  Jordan,  and  himself,  with  Herod  and  his  friends, 
went  up  a  second  time  to  witness  the  Passover  at 
Jerusalem.  He  deposed  the  High  Priest  Jonathan, 
and  substituted  his  brother  Theophilus.  On  the 
fourth  day  of  the  festival,  intelligence  arrived  of  the 
deatli  of  Tiberius,  and  the  accession  of  Caligula. 
Vitellius  dismissed  his  troops  to  their  quarters,  and 
returned  to  Antioch. 

The  accession  of  Caligula  was  an  event  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  another  branch  of  the  Hero- 
dian  family — Agrippa,  the  son  of  Aristt)hulus,  one  of 
the  two  unfortunate  princes,  tlie  sons  of  Herod  the 
Great  by  Mariamne,  the  Asmonean.  The  early  life 
of  Agrippa  had  been  a  strange  course  of  adventure 
and  vicissitude.     On  his  father's  execution,  he  wa» 


138  HISTORY  OF   THE  JEWS. 

sent  to  Rome,  where  he  enjoyed  the  favour  of  \ni^^ 
nia,  the  widow  of  the  elder  Drusus,  the  brothei  ol 
Tiberius.  Antonia  entertained  a  sincere  friendsaip 
for  Berenice,  the  mother  of  Agrippa,  and  under  her 
protection  the  young  Idumean  prince  attached  him- 
self to  the  person  of  Drusus,  the  son  of  Tiberius. 
Agrippa  inherited  the  profusion,  but  not  the  wealth, 
of  the  Ilerodian  race.  On  his  mother's  death,  he 
speedily  dissipated  his  whole  property,  and  found 
himself  overwhelmed  with  debts.  His  associate, 
Drusus,  died ;  and  Tiberius  issued  orders  that  none 
of  the  youth's  intimate  companions  should  be  ad- 
mitted into  his  presence,  lest  they  should  awaken 
the  melancholy  recollection  of  his  beloved  son. 
Agripf,a,  in  the  utmost  distress,  retreated  to  his  native 
land,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Malatha,  an  insig'- 
nificant  village  in  Idumjea.  There  he  was  in  such 
a  state  of  destitution,  that  he  began  to  entertain  de- 
signs of  ridding  himself  of  his  miserable  life  by 
suicide.  At  length  he  had  recourse  to  his  sister 
Herodias,  the  incestuous  wife  of  Herod  Antipas. 
Through  her  interest  he  obtained  a  welcome  recep- 
tion at  Sepphoris,  where  the  Ethnarch  of  Galilee 
held  his  court.  From  Antipas  he  obtained  a  yearly 
allowance,  and  the  government  of  Tiberias.  But 
Herod,  during  the  conviviality  of  a  banquet,  having 
cast  some  reflection  on  his  pensioner,  the  indignant 
Agrippa  withdrew  from  Galilee,  and  retired  to  the 
protection  of  Pomponius  Flaccus,  the  Prefect  of 
Syria,  into  whose  good  graces  he  insinuated  himself 
with  hereditary  address.  At  Antioch  he  met  his 
step-brother  Aristobulus,  but  there  was  not  much 
fraternal  amity  between  them,  and  Aristobulus  seized 
the  opportunity  of  supplanting  his  rival  in  the  favour 
of  the  Roman  Prefect.  Agrippa  received  a  bribe,  to 
secure  his  interest  with  Flaccus,  from  the  inhabitants 
of  Damascus,  who  were  engaged  in  a  dispute  about 
their  borders  with  the  Sidonians.  Detected  in  this 
discreditable  transaction  through  the  jealous  vigi- 


AGRIPFA.  139 

lance  of  his  brother,  he  was  forced  to  leave  A.  tioch 
in  disgrace,  and  retin;;!  to  Ptolcniais  in  a  state  of  tii'' 
lowest  indigence.  Tlicre,  tliroiigh  his  freednian 
Marsyas,  he  tried  in  vain  all  llie  money-lenders,  for 
he  had  neither  bondsman  nor  security  to  offer,  till  at 
last  a  freedslave  of  his  mother  lent  him  17,500 
drachms  on  a  promissory  bond  for  20,000.  With 
this  sum  he  got  to  Anthedon,  intendmg  to  s;ail  for 
Rome.  But  he  was  suddenly  arrested  by  Herennius 
Capito,  Prefect  of  Jamnia,  for  a  debt  of  300,000 
drachms,  which  he  had  borrowed  at  Rome  of  the 
Imperial  Excliequer.  Agripi)a  promised  to  settle 
the  debt,  but  his  vessel  slipping  her  cables  by  night, 
he  escaped  to  Alexandria.  There  his  wife  Cypros 
prevailed  on  the  Jewisli  Alaharch  to  lend  him  200,000 
drachms.  The  prudent  Alabarch,  however,  advanced 
only  five  talents,  promising  that  the  rest  should  be 
forthcoming  on  his  arrival  in  Italy.  With  this 
money,  having  sent  his  wife  back  to  Palestine, 
Agrippa  set  sail  for  Rome.  On  his  landing  at  Pu- 
teoli,  he  sent  a  letter  to  Tiberius,  then  at  Capreae. 
The  emperor  sent  to  congratulate  him  on  his  arrival, 
invited  him  to  Capreae,  and  entertained  him  with 
great  courtesy,  till  a  despatch  arrived  from  Heren- 
nius Capito,  relating  his  dishonourable  evasion  from 
Anthedon.  He  was  forbidden  the  imperial  presence, 
and  retired  in  disgrace  to  Rome.  But  his  mother's 
friend,  Antonia,  still  protected  him.  She  lent  hira  a 
sum  sufficient  to  discharge  his  debt  to  the  imperial 
treasury,  and  Agrippa  was  reinstated  in  the  favour 
of  Tiberius.  The  emperor  reconnnended  him  to 
attach  himself  to  the  person  of  his  grandson,  the 
younger  Tiberius;  but  the  Jewish  prince,  with  bet- 
ter fortune  or  judgment,  preferred  that  of  Caius 
Caligula.  In  this  state  of  advancement,  he  bor- 
rowed a  million  drac  hms  of  Thallus,  a  Samaritan 
freedman  of  Caesar,  and  repaid  his  debt  to  Antonia. 
Unfortunately  one  day  w  hen  lie  was  riding  with  Ca- 
ligula in  a  chariot,  he  expressed  aloud  his  earnest 


140  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [a.C.  37 

petition  to  Providence,  that  Tiberius  might  speedily 
b"  '""moved,  in  order  to  make  room  fnramore  worthy 
successor.  The  speech  was  overheard  by  Euty- 
cl.us,  a  freedman,  the  driver  of  the  chariot.  Euty- 
chus,  punished  for  a  theft,  hastened  to  revenge  him- 
self by  laying  a  eha'rge  against  his  master.  The 
dilatory  Tiberius,  according  to  his  custom,  post- 
poned the  examination  of  the  accused,  who  remained 
in  prison ;  till  Agrippa,  imprudently,  or  having  forgot 
the  whole  affair,  urged  on  the  inquiry,  and  the  fact 
was  clearly  proved.  Tiberius  was  already  offended 
at  the  court  paid  by  Agrippa  to  the  young  f^aius; 
and  suddenly,  in  the  public  circus,  commanded 
Macron,  the  captain  of  his  guard,  "  to  put  that  man 
in  chains."  Macron,  surprised  at  the  sudden  change, 
d:  layed  the  execution  of  the  command ;  till  Tiberius 
returning  to  the  same  spot,  he  demanded  against 
whom  the  order  was  directed.  The  emperor  sternly 
pointed  to  Agrippa,  and,  notwithstanding  his  humble 
supplications,  the  heir  of  the  Asmonean  princes,  clad 
as  he  was  in  the  royal  purple,  was  put  in  fetters,  like 
a  common  malefactor.  The  day  was  excessively 
sultry,  and  a  slave  of  Caligula,  passing  by  with  a 
vessel  of  water,  Agrippa  entreated  for  a  draught. 
The  slave  complied,  and  Agrippa  promised  that 
when  he  should  be  released  from  his  chains,  he 
would  repay  the  kindness  through  his  interest  with 
Caligula — a  promise  which,  to  his  honour,  he  faith- 
fully kept.  Even  in  this  fallen  condition,  Antonia 
did  not  desert  the  son  of  her  friend  Berenice,  she 
obtained  for  him  some  mitigation  of  the  discomforts 
and  privations  of  his  prison.  At  length  his  release 
airived.  Immediately  on  the  death  of  Tiberius 
Marsyas,  his  faithful  freed-slave,  hastened  to  his 
master's  dungeon,  and  connnnuicated  the  joyful  in- 
telligence, saying  in  the  Hebrew  language,  "  The 
lion  is  dead."  The  centurion  on  guard  inquired  the 
cause  of  their  rejoicing  ;  and  when  he  had  extorted 
the  infonnation  from  Agrippa,  anxious  to  propitiate 


A.C.  37.]  AGRIPPA  AND  HEROD.  141 

the  favour  of  a  piisoner,  whose  advancement  he 
foresaw,  he  ordered  his  chains  to  be  struck  off,  and 
invited  him  to  supper.  While  they  were  at  table,  a 
rumour  reached  the  prison  that  l^'iberius  was  still 
iiviiiCT.  The  affrighted  centurion  bitterly  reproached 
Agrippa  with  betray  inn-  him  into  so  serious  a  breach 
of  discipline,  and  ordered  him  immediately  to  be  re- 
loaded with  liis  chains.  That  night  Agrippa  passed 
in  the  most  anxious  state  of  suspense  and  appre- 
hension. With  the  morning  the  news  was  con- 
firmed, and  shortly  after  Caligula  entered  Rome  in 
imperial  state.  On  the  very  day  of  his  entry,  but 
for  the  prudence  of  Antonia,  he  would  have  com- 
manded the  release  of  his  friend.  A  short  time 
after  he  sent  the  order  for  his  liberation,  received 
him  at  his  court,  and  conferred  on  him  the  vacant 
Tetrarchate  of  Philip,  with  the  title  of  king.  He 
presented  him  likewise  with  a  chain  of  gold,  of  the 
same  weight  with  that  of  iron,  with  which  he  had 
been  fettered. 

Agrippa  remained  that  year  in  Rome ;  during  the 
next,  the  second  of  Caligula's  reign,  he  arrived  in 
Palestine  with  royal  pomp,  to  take  possession  of 
his  dignity.  But  if  the  good  fortune  of  Agrippa 
excited  the  general  wonder,  it  aroused  the  bitterest 
jealousy  in  the  mind  of  Herodias,  the  wife  of  Herod 
the  Tetrarch  of  Galilee.  She  saw  the  splendour  of 
her  husband  eclipsed  by  the  beggarly  spendthrift, 
wlio,  although  her  own  brother,  had  been  dependant 
on  their  charity.  The  evil  passions  of  this  woman 
were  as  fatal  to  the  prosperity  as  to  the  virtue  of 
Herod.  Her  insatiable  and  envious  ambition  would 
not  allow  him  to  rest,  till  he  had  obtained  a  royal 
title  which  should  set  him  on  a  level  with  the  up- 
start Agrippa.  Herod,  whose  character  is  described 
as  cool  and  crafty,  (he  is  designated  ip  the  Gospel 
as  "  that  fox  Herod,")  was  carried  away  by  her  per- 
pe.ual  urgency,  and  in  an  inauspicious  hour,  he 
ui  iertook  a  journey  to  Rome  in  orde/  to  solicit  the 


142  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [a.C.  38 

title  of  king.  Agrippa  instantly  despatched  a  mes- 
senger to  counterwork  the  intrigues  and  outbid  the 
bribery  of  Herod.  The  messenger  made  such  good 
speed  as  to  arrive  at  Baiae  before  the  Tetrarch. 
Agrippa's  letter  to  Caligula  accused  Herod  of  former 
intrigues  with  Sejanus,  and  secret  intelligence  with 
the  Parthians.  It  charged  him  particularly  with 
having  hiid  up  a  great  store  of  arms  in  case  of  a 
revolt.  Directly  Herod  appeared,  the  emperor 
closely  questioned  him  upon  the  plain  fact,  whether 
he  had  furnished  his  palace  with  large  quantities  of 
warlike  stores.  The  Tetrarch  could  not  deny  the 
charge,  and  Caligula  immediately  deprived  him  of 
the  Ethnarchate,  which  he  added  to  the  dominions 
of  Agrippa,  and  ordered  him  into  banishment. 
Lyons  in  Gaul  was  the  place  of  his  exile ;  and  thus 
m  the  same  remote  province  two  sons  of  the  magni- 
ficent Herod  were  condemned  to  waste  their  inglori- 
ous lives  by  the  summary  sentence  of  the  Roman 
emperor. 

On  account  of  her  relationship  to  Agrippa,  Cali- 
gula was  inclined  to  exempt  Herodias  from  the  dis- 
grace of  her  husband,  he  offered  to  restore  her  to 
all  the  possessions  which  she  could  claim  as  her 
own.  In  a  nobler  spirit  than  could  have  been  ex- 
pected from  such  a  woman,  Herodias  rejected  his 
mercy,  and  determined  to  share  the  fortunes  of  her 
banished  husband. 

Up  to  the  reign  of  Caligula  the  .Tews  had  enjoyed, 
without  any  serious  interruption,  the  universal  tole- 
ration, which  Roman  policy  permitted  to  the  religion 
of  the  subject  states.  If  the  religion  had  suffered 
a  temporary  proscription  at  Rome  under  Tiberius, 
it  was  as  a  foreign  superstition  supposed,  from  the 
misconduct  of  individuals,  to  be  dangerous  to  the 
public  morals  in  the  metropolis.  Judaism  remained 
undisturbed  in  the  rest  of  the  empire  ;  and  although 
the  occasional  insolence  of  the  Roman  governors  in 
Judaea  might  display  itself  in  acts  offensive  to  the 


JEWS  IN  ALEXANDRIA.  143 

religious  feelings  of  the  natives,  yet  the  wiser  and 
more  liberal,  like  Vitellius,  studiously  avoided  all 
iiiterference  with  that  superstition  which  they  re- 
spected or  despised.  But  tlie  insane  vanity  of  Ca- 
lisfula  made  him  attempt  to  enforce  from  the  whole 
empire  tliose  divine  lionours  which  his  predecessors 
condescended  to  receive  from  the  willing  adulation 
of  their  subjects.  Every  where  statues  were  raised, 
and  temples  built,  in  honour  of  the  deified  emperor. 
The  Jews  could  not  submit  to  the  mandate  without 
violating  the  first  principle  of  their  religion,  nor 
resist  it  without  exposing  their  whole  nation  to  the 
resentment  of  their  masters. 

The  storm  began  to  lower  around  them :  its  first 
violence  broke  upon  the  Jews  in  Alexandria,  where, 
however,  the  collision  with  the  ruling  authorities, 
first  originated  in  the  animosities  of  the  Greek  and 
Jewish  factions,  which  divided  tlie  city.  This  great 
and  populous  city,  besides  strangers  from  all  quar- 
ters, was  inhabited  by  three  distinct  races,  the  native 
Egyptians,  Jews,  and  Greeks.  The  native  Egyptians 
were  generally  avoided  as  of  an  inferior  class,  but 
the  Jews  boasted  of  edicts  from  the  founder  of  the 
city,  and  from  other  monarchs  of  Egypt,  which  en- 
titled them  to  equal  rank  and  estimation  with  the 
descendants  of  the  Macedonian  settlers.  They  were 
numerous:  Philo  calculates  that  in  Egypt  they 
amounted  to  a  million  of  souls ;  they  were  opulent, 
and  among  the  most  active  traders  of  that  great 
commercial  metropolis ;  it  is  probable  that  they  were 
turbulent,  and  not  the  peaceful  and  unoffending  peo- 
ple described  by  their  advocate  Philo — at  all  events 
they  were  odious  to  the  Greek  population.  The 
Roman  prefect  at  this  period  was  Flaccus  Aquilius. 
For  the  last  five  years  Flaccus  had  administered  the 
afTiiirs  of  this  important  province,  and  the  municipal 
government  of  this  unruly  city,  with  equal  vigour 
and  discretion.  His  attention  to  business,  his  per- 
fect acquaintance  with  the  m»«es,  interests,  and 


144  HISTOKY  OP  THE  JEWS. 

factions  of  the  whole  country ;  his  dimity  on  the 
tribunal  of  justice  ;  his  prudence  in  suppressing  all 
clubs  and  assemblies  of  the  lower  orders,  which 
were  held  under  the  pretence  of  religion,  but  were 
acknowledged  to  be  dangerous  to  the  public  peace, 
f.\ cited  universal  admiration.  He  had  introduced 
a  system  of  good  and  equal  laws  into  the  city,  while 
by  constant  reviews  of  the  military  forces,  he  had 
both  improved  the  discipline  of  the  army,  and  over- 
awed the  turbulent  and  disaffected  by  the  display  of 
his  power.  The  death  of  Tiberius,  according  to 
Piiilo,  wrought  a  total  change  in  this  wise  and  up- 
right character;  Flaccus  had  attached  himself  to 
tlie  party  of  the  younger  Tiberius,  and  apprehended 
the  resentment  of  the  new  emperor.  He  became 
careless  of  business,  remiss  in  all  the  great  duties 
of  his  station,  his  vigorous  mind  seemed  paralyzed. 
The  death  of  his  friend  Macro,  who  alone  repressed 
the  violence  of  Caligula,  deprived  him  of  his  last 
hope  of  maintaining  himself  in  the  imperial  favour; 
he  determined,  therefore,  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
the  people  of  Alexandria,  in  order  that  their  good 
report  might  plead  his  cause,  and  commend  the  wis- 
dom of  his  government  with  the  emperor.  With 
this  view  he  relaxed  the  sternness  of  his  police,  and 
allowed  the  Grecian  party  to  proceed  to  every  out  • 
rage  and  insult  on  the  hated  .Jewish  population.  The 
accidental  arrival  of  King  Agrippa  was  the  signal 
for  this  collision  of  the  two  fa  ''tions.  On  his  way 
to  Palestine,  where  he  was  goiiiy  to  take  possession 
of  his  kingdom,  Agrippa,  to  avail  himself  of  the 
Etesian  winds,  sailed  direct  to  Alexandria.  He 
arrived  unexpectedly  in  the  evening,  and  landed  m 
the  night  that  he  might  avoid  all  unnecessary  dis- 
play.  According  to  Philo,  the  sight  of  a  Jew, 
honoured  with  a  royal  title,  and  surrounded  by 
guards,  whose  armour  glittered  with  gold  and  silver, 
exasperated  the  envious  Alexandrians.  They  in- 
8uit«»<i  him ;  wrote  pasquinades  against  him,  probablj 


JEWISH  ORATORIES  PROFANED.  146 

alluding  to  the  beggarly  condition  in  which  he  had 
before  appeared  in  Alexandria;  brought  him  on  tlitr; 
stage,  and  even  proceeded  to  a  more  offensive  praf- 

tical  jest. 

Th(,re  was  a  poor  idiot  named  Uaraoas,  who  used 
to  wander  naked  about  the  streets,  the  butt  of  idle 
and  mischievous  boys.  Him  they  seized,  and  ])lac(;d 
on  a  lofty  seat  near  the  Gymnasium,  dressed  hiin 
in  an  old  mat  for  a  robe,  put.  a  [)f>per  cro^'u  on  liis 
li(!ad,  and  a  cane  in  his  hand  fur  a  sceptre;  b<)\s 
with  sticks  for  halberds  went  before  him  to  repre- 
sent his  body-guard ;  and,  to  complete  the  parody  on 
the  royal  state  of  Agrippa,  some  did  him  homage, 
some  presented  petitions,  some  nddressed  him  on 
affairs  of  state,  and  called  him  l)y  a  word  which  sig- 
lified  "  Lord"  in  the  Syrian  language.  Flacciis, 
though  outwardly  he  showed  all  possilile  respect  to 
Agrippa,  secretly  connived  at  their  iiisuhing  {)r()- 
ceedings,  and  even  fomented  them.  Tins,  however, 
is  the  most  improbable  part  of  Philo's  story,  for  if 
it  was  the  main  object  of  Flaccus  to  secure  the  favour 
of  Caligula,  no  man  of  !us  prudence  would  unneces- 
sarily have  offended  his  acknowledged  friend  and 
favourite.  Agrip[ja,  probably,  soon  withdrew  from 
the  inhospitable  city,  bearmg  with  him  a  decree  of 
the  .Tews,  in  whicii  they  offered  to  Caligula  all  tlie 
honours  compatible  with  their  law.  This  decree  Flac- 
cus had  promised  to  forward,  but  had  treacherously 
v^'ithholden  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Emperor. 
Encouraged  by  the  apparent  counivance  of  tlie  pre- 
fect, the  Greek  faction  assembled  in  the  theatre, 
and  demanded  with  loud  crses,  that  the  statue  of 
the  Emperor  should  be  placed  in  all  the  .Jewish 
proseuchae,  their  oratories  or  places  of  prayer.  They 
then  proceeded  to  carry  their  own  demands  into  exe- 
cution; they  cut  down  the  trees  which  surrounded 
those  picturesque  places  of  worship,  burnt  some, 
profaned  the  rest  by  erecting  images  within  them; 
n  the  most  considerable  they  determined  to  place  a 

11— M 


146  HISTORY    or   THE   JEWS. 

preat  statue  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  horses.  Not 
Having- a  chariot  rrndy,  t^ify  sr^izerl  an  old  one  which 
had  brfore  belonged  to  Cleopatra,  an  ancestress  of 
the  celebrated  Eg-i'plian  queen  of  that  name.  A  few 
days  after  their  oratories  had  thus  been  violated, 
Flaccus  issued  an  edict,  in  which  the  Jews  were 
called  strano-ers;  thus  depriving  them  at  once  of 
their  boasted  rights  of  citizenship.  Philo  would 
persuade  us  that  the  Jews  had  not  given  the  slightest 
provocation,  and  bore  all  these  repeated  outrages 
with  the  utmost  meekness.  This  is  not  probable ; 
and  the  next  measure  of  the  governor  seems  as  if 
it  had  been  intended  to  separate  the  two  conflicting 
parties ;  and  so  secure  the  peace  of  the  distracted 
city.  Alexandria  was  divided  into  five  quarters, 
named  from  the  first  five  letters  of  the  alphabet. 
Two  of  these  were  entirely  peopled  by  Jews,  and 
many  of  them  dwelt  scattered  about  in  the  other 
three.  They  were  ordered  to  retire  into  one  of  these 
districts,  which  was  so  much  too  small  to  contain 
them,  that  they  spread  about  upon  the  sea  shore,  and 
in  the  cemeteries.  The  vacant  houses  in  the  quarter 
from  which  they  had  retired  were  pillaged  by  the 
mob;  the  magazines  and  shops  which  were  shut  on 
account  of  a  general  mourning  for  Drusilla,  the 
Emperor's  sister,  were  broken  open;  the  goods 
openly  shared  in  the  market  place.  Philo  com- 
plains that  great  distress  was  caused  by  the  pledges 
being  taken  away  from  the  brokers,  vvhenre  it  ap- 
pears that  the  Jews  had  already  taken  up  the  })ro- 
fession  of  money-lenders.  But  this  was  not  the 
worst.  Cooped  up  in  one  narrow  quarter  of  the 
city  they  began  to  suffer  dreadfully  from  the  heat 
and  unwholesomeness  of  the  air.  Pestilential  dis- 
orders broke  out.  and  though  the  year  was  plentiful, 
Ihey  sufferr^'l  nil  the  miseries  of  famine,  foi  they 
were  almost  hcsi^gpd  in  their  quarter.  Those  who 
ventured  out  into  the  market  were  robbed,  insulted, 
tnaltniated,  pursued  with  sticks  and  stones.     Blood- 


MASSACRE  OF  THE  JEWS  147 

shed  soon  ensued,  many  were  slain  with  the  sword ; 
others  trampled  to  death,  some,  even  while  alive, 
were  dragged  by  their  heels  through  the  streets^ 
when  dead,  their  bodies  were  still  dragged  along  till 
they  were  torn  to  pieces,  or  so  disfigured  that  they 
could  not  be  distinguished,  if  at  length  recovered  by 
their  friends.  Those  who  strayed  out  of  the  city  to 
breathe  tfie  purer  air  of  the  country-,  or  the  strangers 
who  incautiously  entered  the  walls  to  visit  and  re- 
lieve their  friends,  were  treated  in  the  same  way,  and 
beaten  with  clubs  till  they  were  dead.  The  quays 
were  watched,  and  on  tlie  landing  of  a  Jewish  ves- 
sel, the  merchandise  was  plundered,  the  owners  and 
their  vessel  burnt,  their  houses  were  likewise  set 
on  fire,  and  whole  families,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, burnt  alive.  Yet  even  this  was  a  merciful 
death  compared  with  the  sufferings  of  others.  Some- 
times from  want  of  wood,  they  could  collect  only  a 
few  wet  sticks,  and  over  these,  stifled  with  smoke, 
and  half  consumed,  the  miserable  victims  slowly 
expired.  Sometimes  they  would  mock  their  suf- 
ferings by  affected  sorrow,  but  if  any  of  their  own 
relatives  or  friends  betrayed  the  least  emotion  they 
were  seized,  scourged,  tortured,  and  even  crucified. 
During  all  these  horrible  scenes,  Flaccus,  who 
could  at  once  have  put  an  end  to  the  tumult,  looked 
on  in  calm  indifference.  He  now,  according  to 
his  accuser,  openly  took  part  against  them.  He 
sent  for  the  principal  Jews,  as  if  to  mediate  an 
accommodation,  in  reality  only  to  find  new  pretexts 
for  cruelty.  The  Jews  had  their  Alabarch  or  chief 
magistrate,  and  their  council  or  senate.  Flaccus 
ordered  thirty-eight  of  the  most  distinguished  mem- 
bers of  this  body  to  be  seized,  bound  them  as  crimi- 
nals, and,  although  it  was  the  emperor's  birthday, 
a  day  of  public  rejoicing,  they  were  brought  into  the 
theatie,  and  publicly  scourged  with  such  cruelty  tliat 
many  of  them  died  instantly  of  the  blows,  others, 
shortly  after,  of  the  mischiefs  they  receited.    It 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

was  thought  ail  aggravation  of  this  cruelty,  that  as 
there  were  different  kinds  of  flagellation  according 
to  the  rank  of  the  criminal,  these  distinguished  men 
were  condemned  to  that  usually  inflicted  on  the 
hasest.  Those  who  escaped  with  life,  were  thrown 
into  prison ;  others  of  this  miserable  race  were 
seized  and  crucified.  It  was  the  morning  spectacle 
of  the  theatre  to  see  the  Jews  scourged,  tortured 
both  with  the  rack  and  with  pulleys, and  then  led 
away  to  execution;  and  to  this  horrible  tragedy 
immediately  succeeded  farces  and  dances  and  othei 
theatrical  amusements.  Women  were  occasionally 
seized,  and  exposed  to  the  public  view — sometimes 
female  peasants  were  taken  for  .Tewesses,  when  dis- 
covered they  were  let  go;  if  any  doubt  remained, 
swine's  flesh  was  brought  and  the  women  com- 
manded to  eat ;  those  who  complied  were  released, 
those  who  refused,  treated  with  every  kind  of  in- 
dignity. 

As  if  to  justify  these  cruelties  by  an  apparent 
dread  of  insurrection,  Flaccus  sent  a  centurion^ 
Castus,  to  search  all  the  houses  of  the  Jews  for 
concealed  arms.  The  search  was  conducted  with 
the  utmost  rigour,  even  the  women's  apartments 
ransacked,  but  no  weapon  was  found  more  dan- 
gerous than  common  knives  used  for  domestic 
purposes. 

At  length  tlie  hour  of  retribution  arrived ;  all  the 
•attempts  of  Flaccus  to  secure  the  favour  of  Caligula 
were  unavailing;  a  centurion,  Bassus,  was  sent  to 
arrest  him.  Bassus  proceeded,  not  with  the  bold- 
ness of  a  messenger  armed  with  an  imperial  edict 
but  as  if  he  had  to  surprise  an  independent  sovereign 
in  the  midst  of  loyal  subjects;  it  seems  to  warrant 
a  suspicion,  either  that  Flaccus  entertained  some 
design  of  revolting,  or  at  least,  that  his  popularity 
at  Alexandria  was  so  great  as  to  render  his  capture 
difficult  and  dangerous.  Bassus  arrived  at  night, 
landed  secretly,  and  found  that  Flaccus  was  abroad. 


DEATH  OF  FLACCUS.  143 

at  a  banquet  g'iven  by  one  Stephanio,  a  freedman  of 
Tiberius.  One  of  liis  foWowfis  mingled  with  tha 
guests,  and  finding-  tlrat  the  governor  was  only  at- 
tended by  eight  or  ten  slaves,  Bassus  surrounded 
the  chamber  with  his  soldiers,  and  displayed  the 
imperial  edict.  Flaccus  at  oiute  saw  his  fate,  and 
was  led  away  without  resistance.  It  was  the  feast 
of  Tabernacles:  but  the  sad  and  persecuted  Jews 
had  little  inclination  for  the  usual  joy  and  merri- 
ment of  the  season.  When  the  rumour  of  the  ap- 
prehension of  Flaccus  spread  abroad,  they  supposed 
it  to  be  a  deception  intended  to  tempt  them  to  re- 
joicings, which  would  be  cruelly  revenged.  When 
the  intelligence  was  confirmed,  they  began  to  praise 
God,  and  during  the  whole  night  the  people  were 
occupied  in  hymns  and  songs  of  thanksgiving.  The 
wrath  of  heaven,  as  they  believed,  now  pursued  the 
miserable  Flaccus,  he  had  a  tempestuous  voyage , 
en  his  arrival  at  Rome,  he  was  accused  by  Lampo 
and  Isidore,  two  men  of  the  basest  character,  his 
property  was  confiscated,  and  he  himself  banished 
first  to  (Jyara,  an  island  in  the  JEgean  Sea,  prover- 
bial for  the  hard  fate  of  those  who  were  exiled  to  its 
shores.  By  the  interest  of  Lepidus  he  obtahied  a 
commutation  of  this  punishment,  and  was  sent  to 
Andros,  wliere  he  arrived  after  a  disastrous  voyage, 
and  after  having  been  an  object  of  contempt  or  com- 
miseration in  the  various  towns  through  \vlii(  h  he 
passed.  Philo  asserts  that  he  was  haunted  by  bitter 
remorse  for  his  cruellies  towards  the  Jews.  He 
was  soon  after  put  to  death  by  order  of  Caligula. 

Thus  Philo  describes  the  persecutions  of  the 
Jews  in  Alexandria,  and  the  conduct  of  Flaccus, 
but  it  may  be  justly  suspected  that  both  the  sufter- 
mgs  and  the  peaceful  disposition  of  his  countrymen 
are  highly  coloured;  and  in  the  charac-terand  motives 
of  Flaccus  there  appears  so  much  inconsistency,  as 
cerpetually  to  remind  us  that  we  are  reduced  to  fol 


150  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS. 

low  the  narrative  of  an  advocate,  not  that  of  a  dis- 
passionate historian. 

A  deputation  from  each  of  the  parties  in  Alexan- 
dria, arrived  in  Rome,  to  lay  the  whole  history  ol 
the  late  disturbances  before  the  emperor.  At  the 
head  of  the  Grecian  party  was  Apion,  a  man  of 
eloquence,  and  a  determined  enemy  to  the  Jews; 
on  the  other  side  appeared  Pliilo,  the  author  from 
whose  writings  the  recent  account  has  been  ex- 
tracted, a  man  of  rank,  for  he  was  tlie  brother  of  the 
Alabarch,  and  of  unquestioned  ability.  The  recep- 
tion which  the  Jewish  party  met  with  at  first  was 
apparently  flattering ;  Philo  alone  apprehended  an 
unfavourable  event.  They  presented  a  memorial, 
which  the  Emperor  seemed  to  receive  with  gayety 
and  urbanity.  They  then  followed  the  court  to 
Puteoli :  their  great  object  was  to  obtain  tlie  security 
of  their  Proseuchae  from  being  desecrated  by  images. 
These  oratories  tliey  possessed  in  every  city  where 
they  resided.  While  they  were  discussing  their 
hopes  of  succeeding  in  this  great  object  of  their  mis 
sion,  suddenly  a  man  rushed  in  witli  a  pale  and  dis 
ordered  countenance,  and  communicated  the  dread- 
ful intelligence,  that  an  edict  had  been  issued  to 
place  the  statue  of  the  Emperor  within  the  temple 
of  Jerusalem. 

The  mad  vanity  of  Caligula  had  been  irritated  by 
the  resistance  of  the  Jews  in  Alexandria ;  other  cir- 
cumstances, combined  with  evil  counsellors,  made 
him  determine  to  triumph  over  what  he  considered 
the  disloyal  obstinacy  of  this  self-willed  people. 
Capito,  a  receiver  of  revenue  in  Judaea,  at  first  a  very 
poor  man,  had  grown  rich  in  his  employment,  and 
apprehended  that  complaints  of  his  exactions  might 
reach  the  ear  of  the  Emperor.  He  determined 
therefore,  that  his  accusers  should  appear  in  an  un- 
favourable light,  and,  to  this  end,  he  persuaded 
certain  Greeks,  who  lived  mingled  with  the  native 
population  in  Jamnia,  to  build  a  miserable  altar  o/ 


AliKkJLNDRIA:^  DEPUTIES  BEFORE  CALIGULA.    151 

brick  in  honour  of  Cains.    The  Jews,  as  he  expected 
rose  and  demolished  tlie  iltar;  they  then  carried  their 
complaints  before  C'apito  himself,  who  seized  the 
opportunity  of  representing  the  affair  in  Rome,  as  an 
act  of  wanton  and  unprovoked  sedition. 

The  evil  counsellors  of  Caligula,  were  Helicon, 
an  Egyptian,  a  slave  by  birth,  a  buffc>'.'M  by  occu- 
pation; and  Apelles,*  a  tragic  actor,  ol'l?.scalon,  in 
Syria.  Both  these  men  were  born  and  brought  up 
in  hostility  to  the  Jewish  race.  By  their  advice  the 
fatal  mandate  was  issued,  that  a  gilded  colossal  statue 
of  Caligula  should  be  placed  in  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
and  that  the  temple  should  be  dedicated  to  Caius, 
liie  present  and  younger  Jupiter.  The  execution 
of  the  ('(lift  was  intrusted  to  P.  Petronius,  M'ho  was 
appointed  to  suc(;eed  Vitellius  as  prefect  of  Syria. 
But  before  we  describe  the  attempt  to  enforce  this 
edict  in  Palestine,  it  may  be  well  to  anticipate  the 
fate  of  the  Alexandrian  deputation,  which  is  related 
by  Philo,  and  is  curiously  characteristic  both  of  the 
Emperor  and  of  tlie  estimation  in  which  the  Jews 
were  generally  held.  After  a  long  and  wearisome 
att(!ndaiice,  the  deputies  were  summoned  to  a  final 
audience.  To  judge  so  grave  a  cause,  as  Philo 
complains  with  great  solemnity,  the  Emperor  did 
not  appear  in  a  public  court,  encircled  by  the  wisest 
of  his  senators ;  the  embassy  was  received  in  the 
apartments  of  two  contiguous  villas  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Rome,  called  after  Lamia  and  Maecenas. 
The  bailiffs  of  these  villas  were  commanded  at  tlie 
game  lime  to  have  all  the  rooms  thrown  open  for  tlie 
Emperor's  inspection.  The  Jews  entered,  made  ? 
profound  obeisance,  and  saluted  Caligula  as  Augus- 


•  If  Apelles  was  instrumental  In  this  transaction,  he  met  with  jurt 
though  horrible  retribution.  Suetonius  relates,  thai  as  he  waa  staridin!; 
with  CaliRiila  near  a  statue  of  Jupiter,  the  Eiiii)eror  suddenly  asked 
bim  which  of  the  two  was  the  greater.  Apelles  hfsiiaied,  atwl  ('aligula 
ordered  him  to  be  scourged  with  the  utmoHt  violence,  praising  the  sweet- 
DcMOf  his  voice  all  the  time  that  ho  was  siiriekiiig  in  liis  agony 


152  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

tus  and  Emperor — but  the  sarcastic  smile  on  the 
fi'-e  of   Cains   ^ave    thnm   little  Inipe  of  success. 
"  You  are  then,"  he  said,  sliowing  iiis  teeth  as  he 
spoke,    "those   enemies    of  the    gods  who   alone 
refuse  to  acknowledge  my  divinity,  but  worship  a 
Deity  whose  name  you  dare  not  pronounce" — and 
here,  to  the  horror  of  the  Jews,  he  uttered  the  awful 
name.     The  Greek  deputies  from  Alexandria,  who 
were  present,  thought  themselves  certain  of  their 
triumph,  and  began  to  show  their  exultation  by  in- 
sulting gestures ;  and  Isidore,  one  of  the  accusers 
of  F'laccus,  came  forward  to  aggravate  the  disobe- 
dience of  the  Jews.     He  accused  them  of  being  the 
only  nation  who  had  refused  to  sacrifice  for  the 
Emperor.     The  Jews  with  one  voice  disclaimed  the 
calumny,  and  asserted  that  they  had  three  times 
offered  sacrifice  for  the  welfare  of  the  Emperor — 
and  indeed  had  been  the  first  to  do  so  on  his  ac- 
cession.    "  Be  it  so,"  rejoined  the  Emperor,  "  ye 
have  sacrificed  ^or  me,  but  not  to  me."     The  Jews 
stood  aghast,  and  trembling.     On  a  sudden,  Caius 
began  to  run  all  over  the  house,  up  stairs  and  down 
stairs ;  inspecting  the  men's  and  the  women's  apart- 
ments ;  finding  fault,  and  giving  orders,  while  the 
poor  Jews  followed  him  from  room  to  room,  amid 
the  mockery  of  the  attendants.     After  he  had  given 
his  orders,  the  Emperor  suddenly  turned  round  to 
them :  "  Why  is  it  that  you  do  not  eat  pork  ]"    The 
whole  court  burst  into  peals  of  laughter.     The  Jews 
temperately  replied,  that  different  nations  have  dif- 
ferent usages :  some  persons  would  not  eat  lamb. 
"  They  are  right,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  it  is  an  insi- 
pid meat."     After  further  trial  of  their  patience,  he 
demanded,  with  his  usual  abruptness,  on  what  they 
grounded  their  right  of  citizenship.     They  began  a 
long  and  grave  legal  argument ;  but  they  had  not 
proceeded  far,  when  Caius  began  to  nm  up  and  down 
the  great  hall,  and  to  order  that  some  blinds,  of  a 
kind  of  transparent  stone,  like  glass,  which  admit- 


PETROMUS.  lb  J 

ted  the  li^ht,  and  excluded  the  heat  and  air,  should 
be  put  up  ag-ainst  the  windows.  As  he  left  that 
room,  he  asked  the  Jews,  with  a  more  courteous 
air,  if  tliey  had  any  thing-  to  say  to  him  ;  they  beg^an 
again  their  harang-ue,  in  the  middle  of  which  ho 
started  away  into  another  chamber,  to  see  some  old 
paintings.  The  Jews  at  length  were  glad  to  retreat, 
and  felt  happy  to  escape  with  their  lives.  Caius 
gave  them  their  dismissal  in  these  words  :  "  Weil, 
after  all,  they  do  not  seem  so  bad;  but  rather  a  poor 
foolish  people,  who  cannot  believe  that  I  am  a  god." 
The  instructions  to  Petronius,  the  Syrian  go- 
vernor, were  distinct  and  precise  ;  he  was  to  place 
the  statue  of  Caligula  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  at 
all  hazards.  He  was  to  withdraw,  if  necessary,  the 
two  legions  which  were  usually  stationed  on  the 
Euphrates.  Yet  he  was  too  prudent  and  humane 
not  to  hesitate;  he  called  a  council,  where  the 
bigoted  attachment  of  the  Jews  to  their  temple,  and 
their  formidable  numbers  both  in  Judaea  and  other 
countries,  were  discussed.  But  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  that  the  mandate  of  the  Emperor  was  impe- 
.ative;  and  Petronius  issued  out  orders  to  the  Si- 
don  ian  workmen  to  make  the  statue.  He  then  col- 
lected his  troops,  and  went  into  winter-quarters  at 
Ptolemais.  He  had  made  known  to  the  priests  and 
rulers  of  the  Jews  the  designs  of  the  Emperor;  but 
hio  sooner  had  the  intelligence  spread,  than  many 
flliousands  of  the  people  assembled  from  all  quarters, 
without  distinction  of  rank,  age,  or  sex.  They 
covered  the  country  for  a  great  distance  like  a  vast 
cloud ;  they  were  unarmed  and  defenceless :  many 
of  them  were  clad  in  sackcloth,  and  had  ashes  on 
their  heads — and  every  mark  of  the  deepest  mourn- 
ing. \11  with  one  voice  declared  their  steadfast  and 
deliberate  resolution  to  sacrifice  their  lives,  rather 
tlian  consent  to  the  profanation  of  their  temple 
Petronius  sternly  rebuked  them,  and  insisted  on  his 
own  obligation  to  fulfil  the  positive  commands  of 


164  fllSTOKt    or   THE   JEWS. 

his  sovereign.  They  answered,  that  they  were  as 
niucli  bound  to  respect  the  ordinances  of  their  God 
— that  no  fear  of  death  would  induce  them  to  the 
violation  of  their  law — that  they  dreaded  the  wrath 
of  their  God  more  than  that  of  the  Emperor. 

Petronius  shrunk  from  the  horrible  task  of  com- 
menting  a  war  of  massacre  and  extermination  foi 
such  an  object ;  and  in  order  to  obtain  more  certaiii 
information  on  the  state  of  the  country,  he  left  his 
troops  at  Ptolemais,  and  himself,  with  some  of  his 
more  distinguished  officers,  moved  to  Tiberias. 
Here  many  of  the  rulers,  and  the  people  by  thou- 
sands, crowded  again  into  his  presence.  Once  more 
Petronius  urged  the  power  of  the  Romans,  the  posi- 
tive mandate  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  uniform  obe- 
dience of  all  other  nations.  The  Jews  replied  with 
entreaties  and  supplications,  that  he  would  not  think 
of  violating  their  sanctuary  with  the  images  of  man. 
"  Are  ye  resolved  then,"  said  the  Roman,  "  to  wage 
war  against  your  Emperor  ?"  "  We  have  no  thought 
of  •ar,"  they  replied  unanimously;  "but  we  will 
submit  to  be  massacred  rather  than  infringe  our 
Iriw" — and  at  once  the  whole  body  fell  with  their 
faces  to  the  earth,  and  declared  that  they  were  ready 
to  offer  their  throats  to  the  swords  of  the  soldiery. 

For  forty  days  this  scene  lasted :  it  was  the  time 
for  sowing;  and  the  whole  land  remained  uncul- 
tivated, Aristobulus,  the  brother  of  Agrippa — 
Helcias,  called  the  Great — and  others  of  tne  most 
distinguished  men  of  the  nation — appeared  before 
Petronius,  and  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  im- 
policy of  reducing  a  flourishing  province  to  a  desert, 
i'rom  which  no  tribute  could  be  drawn.  The  people, 
they  urged,  were  obstinately  determined  not  to  till 
the  soil,  and  would  betake  themselves  to  robbery ; 
so  that  it  was  impossible  to  calculate  the  dreadful 
results  of  his  persisting  in  the  odious  measure. 
Thev  entreated  that  he  would  forward  their  repre- 


PETKo>'rrs.  155 

■cntations  to  Calijsnila,  in  hopes  that  the  Emperor 
mijjht  yet  be  persuaded  to  reloiit. 

The  humane  Petronius,  after  holding  a  council 
with  his  friends,  determined  to  risk  the  wrath  of 
the  Emperor,  rather  than  deluge  the  whole  country 
with  blood.  According  to  one  account,  he  deter- 
mined not  to  forward  the  petition  of  the  Jews,  but 
to  delay,  under  the  pretence  of  allowing  time  for  the 
statue  to  be  finished ;  and  to  represent  the  incon- 
venience of  permitting  the  province  to  remain  un- 
cultivated, more  particularly  as  the  Emperor  and 
the  court  were  about  to  visit  Alexandria.  But 
whatever  turn  he  gave  to  the  affair  in  his  despatches 
to  Rome,  he  assembled  the  people  at  Tiberias — 
declared  his  determination  to  suspend  the  execution 
of  the  decree  till  he  should  receive  further  instruc- 
tions— and  promised  that  he  would  use  all  his  m- 
terest  to  obtain  the  total  repeal  of  the  edict.  F2 
well  knew  the  danger  to  which  he  exposed  himsel. 
by  his  disobedience  to  the  imperial  decree ;  but  he 
was  willing  to  stand  the  hazard,  in  order  to  preserve 
the  .Jewish  people  from  the  horrors  of  war.  lie 
exhorted  them  in  the  mean  time  to  disperse  peacea- 
bly, and  betake  themselves  to  their  usual  occupa- 
tions and  to  the  tillage  of  their  lands.  The  season 
had  been  uncommonly  sultiy ;  the  customary  rams 
had  not  fallen.  But  scarcely  had  Petronius  ended 
his  speech,  than  the  day,  which  had  been  till  then 
serene,  became  overcast,  and  the  showers  began  to 
fall.  The  people  saw  the  mark  of  the  divine  ap- 
probation with  unmingled  satisfaction ;  Petronius 
himself  is  said  to  have  been  greatly  struck  by  this 
singular  coincidence. 

The  Jews,  however,  owed  their  security  rather  to 
the  interest  of  their  king,  than  to  the  humanity  of 
the  prefect.  Throughout  ihe  history  of  the  whole 
preceding  transaction,  our  two  authorities,  Philo 
and  Josephus,  have  differed  in  many  most  import- 
ant particulars.     It  is  scarcely  possible  to  reconcile 


156  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

<heir  narrative  of  the  conduct  of  Agrippa.  Accord- 
incT  to  the  form"r,  t'ir>  'Ipspatf'TOP  of  Petronius  threvc 
Caligula  into  one  of  liis  most  violent  paroxysms  oi 
fury.  Before  he  had  recovered,  Agrippa  entered, 
and  from  his  fiery  eye  and  disordered  counten-mce, 
apprehended  that  something  was  wrong.  Caligula 
suddenly  turned  upon  him,  and  broke  out  into  the 
bitterest  reproaches  against  his  countrymen  for  their 
obstinate  resistance  to  his  will.  The  Jewish  prince 
was  so  appalled,  that  he  trembled  in  every  limb ;  he 
fainted  away;  and  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground, 
but  that  his  attendants  caught  him,  and  removed 
him  from  the  imperial  presence.  Till  the  next  even- 
ing he  remained  without  giving  signs  of  life  and 
consciousness.  At  length  he  opened  his  eyes,  and 
then  fainted  again.  The  third  day  he  came  to  him- 
self, and  inquired  with  a  shudder  whether  he  was 
still  in  the  dreaded  presence  of  the  Emperor.  His 
attendants  urged  him  to  rise,  to  bathe  and  take  re- 
freshment ;  he  refused  all  sustenance,  except  some 
flour  and  pure  water.  He  then  sat  down,  and  wrote 
a  long  letter  to  Cains;  but  that  which  is  extant  in 
Philo's  work  displays  too  much  of  the  Alexandrian 
orator  to  induce  us  to  suppose  it  genuine.  Such  is 
the  narrative  of  Philo — that  of  Josepiuis  is  more 
creditable  to  the  character  of  the  king.  Agrippa 
having  entertained  Caligula  at  a  banquet  so  sumptu- 
ous as  to  excite  astonishment  even  in  that  age  of 
prodigal  luxury  and  magnificence,  the  Emperor 
offered  to  grant  any  request  that  he  miglit  make. 
Agrippa,  with  a  feeling  worthy  of  one  who  had  the 
blood  of  the  Asmoneans  in  his  veins,  instead  of 
demanding  an  accession  of  wealth  or  territory,  im- 
mediately petitioned  for  the  repeal  of  the  fatal  edict. 
The  wounded  pride  of  Caligula  struggled  hard  with 
his  attachment  to  Agrippa,  and  with  the  shame  of 
forfeiting  the  imperial  word,  which  he  had  given 
with  so  much  publicity.  At  last,  however,  he  re- 
lented, and  the  fatal  decree  was  suspended.     At  *he 


A.O    32.]  BABYLONIAN  JEWb.  157 

same  time  the  disobedience  of  Petronius  was  not 
to  be  pardoned.  A  letter  was  written,  in  which  he 
was  accused  of  having  preferred  the  bribes  of  the 
Jews  to  his  allegiance  to  his  sovereign ;  and  he  was 
commanded  to  prepare  himself,  as  about  to  undergo 
the  most  exemplary  punishment.  But  this  letter 
was  accidentally  delayed,  and  the  news  of  Caligula's 
death  reached  Petronius  first.  If  Philo  is  to  be 
credited,  this  event  was  equally  fortunate  for  the 
Jewish  nation ;  for  Caligula,  with  his  customary 
irresolution,  repented  of  his  lenity,  and  ordered  a 
colossal  statue  of  bronze  to  be  cast,  which  he  in- 
tended, when  he  should  arrive  at  Alexandria,  where 
he  was  to  be  solemnly  inaugurated  as  a  god,  to  have 
placed  by  stealth  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem. 

It  might  seem  as  if  the  skirts  of  that  tremendous 
tempest,  which  was  slowly  gathering  over  the  native 
country  and  the  metropolis  of  the  Jewish  people, 
broke,  and  discharged  their  heavy  clouds  of  ruin 
and  desolation  successively  over  each  of  the  more 
considerable,  though  remote,  settlements  of  the 
devoted  people.  The  Jews  of  Babylonia  had  now 
their  turn.  There  is  something  very  remarkable  in 
the  history  of  this  race,  for  the  most  part  descend- 
ants of  those  families  which  had  refused  to  listen  to 
the  summons  of  Zorobabel,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiah,  and 
to  return  to  the  possession  of  their  native  lands.  It 
was,  perhaps,  natural  that  men  born  in  a  foreign 
region,  and  knowing  the  lovely  land  of  their  ances- 
tors only  by  tradition,  or  by  the  half-forgotten  de- 
scriptions of  their  departed  parents,  should  hesitate  to 
abandon  their  houses,  their  fields,  and  their  posses- 
sions, in  the  hospitable  country,  to  which  their  fathers 
had  been  transported  by  force,  but  where  they  them- 
selves had  become  naturalized.  But  the  singular 
part  of  theii  history  is  this,  that  though  willing  aliens 
from  their  native  land,  they  remained  Jews  in  cha- 
racter and  religion ;  they  continued  to  be  a  separate 
people,  and  refused  to  mingle  themselves  up  with 


158  HISTORY  OK  THE  JEWS.  [a.C.  3t 

the  populaUon  of  the  country  in  which  they  were 
domiciliated.  While  those  who  returned  to  Pales- 
tine were  in  danger  of  fonning  a  mixed  race,  by 
'ntermarriag-es  with  the  neighbouring  tribes,  which 
it  required  all  the  sternest  exeroise  of  authority  in 
their  rulers  to  prevent,  the  Babylonian  Jews  wer« 
still  as  distinct  a  people  as  the  whole  race  of  Israel 
has  been  since  the  final  dispersion.  They  adhered 
together,  though  wanting  as  well  the  bond  of  perse- 
cution, as  the  deep  religious  hope  of  restoration  to 
the  promised  land  in  more  than  their  ancient  glory , 
for  this  hope  was  obviously  not  strong  enough  to 
induce  them  to  avail  themselves  of  the  present  op- 
portunity of  return  at  the  price  of  their  possessions  in 
the  Median  dominions.  Nor  did  they,  like  the  Jews 
of  Alexandria,  become  in  any  degree  independent  of 
the  great  place  of  national  worship ;  they  were  as 
rigid  Jews  as  if  they  had  grown  up  within  sight  of 
the  temple.  They  still  looked  to  the  Holy  of  Holies 
at  Jerusalem  as  the  centre  of  their  faith ;  they  regu- 
larly sent  their  contributions  to  its  support.  The 
passionate  attachment  to  their  native  country  gave 
place  to  a  more  remote,  though  still  profound,  attach- 
ment to  the  religious  capital  of  their  people.  The 
temple  became  what  the  Caaba  of  Mecca  is  to  the 
Mahometans,  the  object  of  the  profoundest  reverence, 
and  sometimes  of  a  pious  pilgrimage ;  but  the  land 
of  their  fathers  had  lost  its  hold  on  their  affections ; 
they  had  no  desire  to  exchange  the  level  plains  of 
Babylonia,  for  the  rich  pastures,  the  golden  corn- 
fields, or  the  rocky  vineyards  of  Galilee  and  Judaja. 
This  Babylonian  settlement  was  so  numerous  and 
flourishing,  that  Philo  more  than  once  intimates  the 
possibility  of  their  marching  in  such  force  to  the 
assistance  of  their  brethren  in  Palestine,  in  case  the 
Roman  oppression  was  carried  to  excess,  as  to  make 
the  fate  of  the  war  very  doubtful.  Their  chief  city, 
Nearda,  was  strongly  situated  m  a  bend  of  the  river 
Euphrates,  which  almost    surrounded    ti>^     own. 


POOL  OF  HEZEKIAH.  JERUSALEM 


ASSINAI  AND  AXILAI  169 

Heie,  in  a  place  impregnable  to  the  Parthian  rob- 
bers, the  Jews  of  Mesopotamia  had  made  a  sort  oi 
treasury,  in  which  they  laid  up  the  tribute  of  two 
drachms  a  head,  which  was  received  for  the  service 
of  the  temple,  and  at  stated  intervals  transferred  to 
Jerusalem.  In  this  city  were  two  orphans,  named 
Asinai  and  Anilai,  who  had  been  bred  up  as  weavers, 
probably  of  tliose  rich  stuffs  for  which  Babylonia 
was  so  loner  celebrated.  On  some  ill-usage  from  the 
master-manufacturer,  they  fled  to  a  low  district 
between  two  branches  of  the  river,  where  there 
were  rich  meadows,  and  a  place  where  the  shep- 
herds used  to  lay  up  their  stores  for  the  winter. 
There  a  number  of  indigent  and  discontented  youths 
gathered  around  them,  and  they  became  the  captains 
of  a  formidable  band  of  robbers.  They  built  a 
strong  fortress,  secured  by  the  marshes  around,  and 
levied  tribute  on  the  shepherds,  whom,  however, 
they  defended  from  all  other  assailants.  The  Sa- 
trap of  Babylon  determined  to  suppress  them,  and 
seized  the  favourable  opportunity  of  the  Sabbath  for 
his  attack.  Asinai  happened  to  be  reposing  among' 
a  number  of  his  followers,  whose  arms  lay  scattered 
around:  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  I  hear  the  tram- 
pling of  horses ;  it  must  be  more  than  a  troop  of 
wild  ones  in  their  pastures,  for  I  hear  likewise  the 
jingling  of  the  bridles."  Spies  were  sent  out,  and 
the  whole  band  determined  to  sacrifice  their  respect 
for  the  Sabbath  to  their  self-preservation.  They 
attacked  and  defeated  their  assailants  with  great 
slaughter.  Artabanus,  the  King  of  Parthia,  heard 
with  admiration  of  their  extraordinary  valour,  and 
sent  to  offer  terms  of  accommodation.  Anilai  was 
sent  to  the  court,  where  the  king  pledging  his  per- 
sonal honour  for  their  security,  Asinai  was  persuaded 
to  follow  him.  The  king  paid  them  great  honour, 
admired  their  singular  personal  strength  and  activity, 
and  refused  all  the  secret  solicitations  of  his  officers 
.o  rid  himself  by  treachery  of  such  dangerous  men. 


160  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

He  even  appointed  Asinai  to  the  supreme  command 
ill  Babylonia,  with  strict  injunctions  to  suppress  all 
robbers.  Asinai  conducted  himself  with  equal  vigour 
and  prudence,  and  rose  to  the  highest  degree  of 
wealth  and  power.  But  wealth  and  power  led  to 
their  usual  consequences,  insolence  and  injustice. 
A.nilai  became  enamoured  of  the  wife  of  a  Parthian 
chieftain,  whom  he  excited  to  hostihties,  and  slew. 
This  woman,  to  the  great  offence  of  the  Jews,  ad- 
hered to  the  Parthian  religion.  The  Jews  strongly 
urged  on  the  brother,  Asinai,  the  imperative  neces- 
sity of  preventing  this  breach  of  the  law  in  his  own 
family.  Asinai  at  length  strongly  remonstrated  with 
his  brother,  and  insisted  on  the  dismissal  of  the 
woman.  His  remonstrances  were  fatal  to  himself; 
for  the  Parthian  woman,  apprehending  some  further 
exercise  of  authority,  poisoned  Asinai;  and  thus  the 
supreme  authority  passed  into  the  hands  of  Anilai. 
Anilai,  with  equal  bravery,  but  far  less  prudence  and 
virtue  than  his  brother,  attacked  the  territory  of 
Mithridates,  a  Parthian  chieftain  of  the  highest  rank, 
and  connected  by  marriage  with  the  king,  surprised 
him  by  an  unexpected  attack  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
took  him  prisoner.  Contrary  to  the  advice  of  his 
more  desperate  associates,  he  refused  to  put  him  to 
death,  and  released  him.  The  royal  wife  of  Mithri- 
dates, furious  at  the  disgrace,  instigated  her  hus- 
band to  revenge;  and  they  assembled  considerable 
forces.  Anilai,  disdaining  to  rely  on  the  strength 
of  his  marshes,  advanced  a  great  way  into  the 
plains,  where  his  troops  suffered  grievously  from 
want  of  water.  In  this  state  they  were  attacked  by 
Mithridates,  and  totally  defeated.  But  desperate 
adventurers  flocked  from  all  quarters  to  the  standard 
of  Anilai;  his  losses  were  speedily  restored,  and  he 
waged  a  marauding  war,  and  carried  fire  and  sword 
into  the  Babylonian  villages.  The  Babylonians  sent 
to  Nearda,  the  chief  settlement  of  the  Jews,  to 
demand  the  surrender  of  Anilai.     Those  \r  Nearda 


HASSACKE  OF  THE  T?AT?yLOMAX  JKWS.         161 

were  unable  or  unwilling  to  comply  with  this  ordor. 
At  length  the  BiiSvlnniaiis  surprised  the  camp  of  the 
robber,  when  his  soldiers  were  sunk  in  debau';htry 
and  sleep,  slew  the  whole  band  and  Anilai  himscdf. 

The  Babylonians  were  not  content  with  ven- 
geance against  the  offenders,  but  began  to  commit 
dreadful  reprisals  on  tlie  whole  Jewish  population. 
The  Jews,  unable  to  resist,  fled  in  great  numbers  to 
Seleucia:  six  years  after,  many  more  took  refuge 
from  a  pestilence  in  the  same  city.  Seleucia  hap 
pened  to  be  divided  into  two  fa(-tions  ;  one  of  thc- 
Greeks,  the  other  of  the  Syrians.  The  Jews  threw 
themselves  into  the  scale  of  tiie  Syrians,  who  thus 
obtained  a  superiority,  till  the  Greeks  came  to  terms 
with  the  Syrians;  and  bolii  parlu-s  agreed  to  fall 
upon  the  unhappy  Jews.  As  many  as  50,000  men 
were  slain.  The  few  who  escaped  fled  to  Ctesiphon. 
Even  there  the  enmity  of  the  Seleucians  pursued 
them ;  and  at  length  the  survivers  took  refuge  in 
their  old  quarters,  Nearda  and  Nisibis. 

The  assassination  of  Caligula  delivered  the  Jews 
within  the  Roman  dominion  from  their  immediaie 
danger;  and  delayed  the  fatal  hour  which  his  mad- 
ness seemed  rapidly  hastening.  Agrippa  was  in 
Rome  at  that  critical  period,  and,  during  the  confu- 
sion which  ensued,  he  sustained  an  important  part. 
His  conduct  was  honourable  to  his  feelings,  as  well 
as  to  his  address  and  influence.  He  alone  paid  the 
last  honours  to  his  murdered  friend.  He  then  be- 
came mainly  instrumental  in  the  peaceful  re-esta- 
hlishment  of  that  order  of  things  which,  however 
different  from  what  an  ardent  lover  of  the  old  Roman 
liberty  might  have  desired,  was  perhaps  the  best 
which  the  circumstances  of  the  times  would  admit. 
He  persuaded  the  Senate  to  abandon  their  unavailing 
resistance  to  the  infuriated  soldiery;  reassured  the 
weak  and  unambitious  spirit  of  Claudius;  and  at  the 
same  time  dissuaded  him  from  taking  those  violent 
measures  against  the  S«^'iate,  to  which  the  army 
1L--N 


162  HISTORY    OP    THE   JEWS.  [a.C.  41 

were  urging  him,  and  which  would  have  dehiged 
Rome  with  blno'l. 

His  services  were  amply  repaid  by  the  gratefui 
emperor.  Agrippa  received  the  investiture  of  all 
the  dominions  which  belonged  to  the  Great  Herod. 
Judaea  and  Samaria  were  reunited  with  Galilee, 
Peraea,  and  the  provinces  beyond  Jordan,  in  one 
kingdom :  Abilene,  the  district  at  the  foot  of  Antili- 
banus,  was  added.  Herod,  his  brother,  received  the 
kingdom  of  Chalcis.  This  donation  of  the  Jewish 
kingdom  was  made  with  the  utmost  publicity :  the 
edict  which  announced  it  contained  a  high  eulo- 
gium  on  Agrippa;  and  the  act  was  registered  on  a 
brass  tablet,  in  the  Capitol.  A  treaty  was  formally 
concluded  between  the  Emperor  and  Agrippa,  in  the 
Forum. 

The  death  of  Caligula  was  the  signal  for  new 
commotions  in  Alexandria.  The  Jews  attempted  to 
recover  their  former  rights.  Claudius  issued  a  tem- 
perate edict,  favourable  to  the  Jewish  inhabitants  of 
that  city,  and  confirming  their  privileges.  This  was 
followed  by  a  second  general  decree,  which  secured 
the  freedom  of  religious  worsliip  to  the  Jews, 
througliout  the  empire:  at  the  same  time  they  were 
admonished  to  behave  with  decency  to  the  religions 
of  other  people.  Under  this  decree  the  inhabitants 
of  Dora  were  condemned,  by  Petronius,  for  wan- 
tonly insulting  a  Jewish  synagogue,  by  placing  a 
statue  of  Claudius  within  its  walls. 

Agrippa  returned  to  his  kingdom  in  great  splen- 
dour. He  displayed  the  greatest  respect  for  the 
national  religion;  he  hung  up  in  the  temple  the 
golden  chain  which  Caligula  had  bestowed  upon 
him,  as  a  memorial  of  the  protection  of  Almighty 
Providence.  He  observed  the  Mosaic  law  with  great 
exactness ;  offered  sacrifice  every  day ;  and  ab- 
stained from  every  legal  impurity.  In  all  other 
respects  Agrippa  aimed  at  popularity:  he  remitted 
the  house  tax  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.     Yet 


A.C.   41.]  AGRIPPA,  KlJfO.  163 

the  sterner  zealots  looked  on  with  jealousy;  and 
while  he  was  absent  at  Caesarea,  one  Simon  assem- 
bled a  number  of  the  people ;  accused  him  of  vio- 
lating the  law,  probably  on  account  of  his  fondness 
for  theatric  exhibitions,  and  demanded  his  exclusion 
from  the  temple.  Agrippa  sent  for  him  to  Caesarea; 
placed  him  bv  his  side  in  the  public  theatre,  and 
mildly  inquired  whether  he  saw  any  thing  contrary  to 
the  law.  Simon  was  silent ;  upon  which  Agrippa 
dismissed  him  without  molestation. 

The  conduct  of  Agrippato  Silas,  one  of  his  steady 
tollowers,  though  more  severe,  can  scarcely  be  con- 
sidered as  an  exception  to  the  general  mildness  of 
his  disposition.  Silas  had  steadfastly  adhered  to  his 
fortunes,  and  received  as  a  reward  the  command  of 
his  forces.  But  presuming  on  his  services,  he  was 
perpetually  reminding  the  king  of  his  former  low 
condition.  His  insolence  at  last  provoked  Agrippa 
to  dismiss  him  from  his  employment,  and  imprison 
him.  Once  he  relented ;  but  the  intractable  Silas 
treated  his  overtures  with  the  utmost  arrogance ; 
and  Agrippa  left  him  in  confinement.  Agrippa  ex- 
ercised his  supreme  authority  in  Jerusalem  by  con- 
tinually displacing  the  High  Priest.  He  first  deposed 
Theophilus,  son  of  Annas,  and  substituted  Simon, 
named  Cantherus,  son  of  Boethus.  Afterward  he 
offered  the  dignity  to  Jonathan,  son  of  Annas,  who 
declined  it,  and  his  brother  Mathias  was  appointed. 
Before  the  close  of  his  reign  he  degraded  Mathias, 
and  substituted  Elionaeus,  son  of  Simon  Cantherus. 

Agrippa  inheriied  the  magnificent  taste  for  build- 
ing which  distinguished  the  elder  Herod.  At  Be- 
rytus,  a  city  which  he  highly  favoured,  he  built  a 
splendid  theatre,  where  the  most  costly  musical 
exliihitions  were  displayed;  and  in  an  amphitheatre 
in  the  same  city,  two  troops  of  gladiators,  malefac- 
tors, of  700  each,  were  let  loose  upon  each  other; 
and  thus  horribly  fulfilled  the  sentence  of  the  law 

In  Jerusalem  he  commenced  a  more  useful  work. 
To  the  north  of  the  city,  a  new  suburb,  called  Beze.- 


1 64  HISTORY  OP  THE  JEWS.  [a  C.  44 

tha,  had  grown  up :  this  he  encircled  with  a  wall 
and  was  proceediiig  to  strengthen  the  whole  line  ol 
the  city  fortifications.  But  Vibius  Marsus,  who  had 
succeeded  Longinus  as  Prefect  of  Syria,  beheld  this 
proceec^,  ng-  with  great  suspicion;  and,  on  account 
of  his  r  presentations  at  Rome,  Agrippa  thought  it 
prudent  to  desist  from  the  work. 

Marsus  watched  all  the  motions  of  the  Jewish 
monarch  with  the  same  jealousy.  Agrippa,  probably 
with  an  innocent  view  of  displaying  his  magnifi- 
cence, assembled  five  kmgs  at  a  great  entertainment 
n  Tiberias;  Herod,  king  of  Chalcis,  his  brother; 
Antiochus,  king  of  Commagene  ;  Cotys,  king  of  the 
Lesser  Armenia  ;  Sampsigeranus,  king  of  Emesa ; 
and  Polemon,  king  of  Pontus.  Marsus  arrived 
at  tlie  same  time :  and  Agrippa,  out  of  respect,  went 
forth  to  receive  him;  the  imperious  Roman  sent 
orders  to  the  several  kings  to  withdraw  themselves 
into  their  own  territories.  Agrippa  was  greatly 
offended ;  and  sent  a  letter  to  Claudius,  earnestly 
entreating  the  recall  of  Marsus. 

Unhappily,  besides  his  splendour,  munificence, 
and  conformity  to  the  law,  Agrippa  sought  other 
means  of  ingratiating  himself  with  his  Jewish  sub- 
jects, the  persecution  of  the  unoffending  Christians. 
He  put  to  death  James,  the  brother  of  St.  John,  and 
threw  St.  Peter  into  prison. 

Having  completed  a  reign  of  three  years  over  the 
whole  of  Palestine,  Agrippa  ordered  a  splendid  fes- 
tival at  Cffisarea,  in  honour  of  the  Emperor.  Mul- 
titudes of  the  highest  rank  flocked  together  from  all 
quarters.  On  the  second  day  of  the  spectacle,  at 
the  early  dawn,  the  King  entered  the  theatre  in  a 
robe  of  silver,  which  glittered  with  the  morning 
rays  of  the  sun,  so  as  to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  assembly,  and  excite  general  admiration. 
Some  of  his  flatterers  set  up  a  shout — "  A  present 
God."  Agrippa  did  not  repress  the  unpious  adula- 
tion, which  spread  through  the  theatre.  At  that 
moment  he  looked  uP>  and  saw   an  owl  perched 


HATRED    OF   THE    TROOPS   TO    AGRIPPA.      165 

over  his  head,  on  a  rope.  The  owl  had  once  been 
to  him  a  bird  of  (rood  omen.  While  he  was  ir; 
chains  at  Rome,  a  fellow-prisoner,  a  German,  hau 
aufriired,  from  tlie  appearance  of  one  of  these  birds, 
his  fntnre  splendid  fortnne;  but  he  had  added  this 
solenm  warning,  that  when  he  saw  that  bird  an-ain, 
at  the  height  of  his  fortune,  he  would  die  williin 
five  days.  The  fatal  omen,  proceed^:  Jos'^'plius, 
pierced  the  heart  of  the  King;  and  with  deep  me- 
lancholy he  said,  "  Your  God  will  soon  suffer  the 
common  lot  of  mortality."  He  was  immediately 
struck,  in  the  language  of  the  sacred  volume,  by 
an  angel.  He  was  seized  with  violent  internal 
pains,  and  carried  to  his  palace.  There  he  lingered 
five  days  in  extreme  agony ;  being  "  eaten  of 
worms,"  the  cause  of  his  intestine  disorder.  He 
died  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  having 
reigned  seven  years  over  part  of  his  dominions, 
three  over  the  whole  of  Palestine.  He  left  one  son, 
Agrippa  ;  an  elder,  Drusus,  had  died  in  his  infancy; 
and  three  daughters,  Berenice  married  to  his  brotlier 
Herod,  king  of  Chah-is;  Mariamne,  and  Drusilla. 

The  inhabitants  of  Sebaste  and  Caesarea,  probably 
the  Greek  party,  and  particularly  his  own  soldiers, 
expressed  the  most  brutal  exultation  at  the  death 
of  Agrippa.  They  heaped  his  memory  with  re- 
proaches, took  the  statues  of  his  young  daughters, 
carried  them  to  some  brothels,  and  there  placing 
them  on  the  roof,  treated  them  with  every  kind  of 
mdignity.  They  then  made  a  great  feast,  to  cele- 
orate  the  departure  of  the  King.  Claudius  heard 
with  great  indignation  of  this  ungrateful  conduct, 
and  ordered  the  cohorts  in  Sebaste  and  Caesarea  to 
oe  removed  into  Pontus,  and  their  place  to  be  filled 
oy  drafts  from  the  legions  in  Syria.  Unhappily  this 
purpose  was  not  executed.  The  troops  remained, 
with  this  sentence  of  disgrace  rankling  in  their 
hearts,  and  exasperating  them  to  still  greater  ani- 
mosity towards  the  wliole  Jewish  nation ;  a  chief 
cause,  Josephus  adds,  of  the  subsequent  disasters 


BOOK  xm. 


THE    ROMAN   GOVERNORS. 


Ckigpins  nAtft  Tiberius  Jilexander — Ventidius  Cumanus — Felix — 
Porcius  \**»'—J]lbinus — Oessiiis  Florns — Commencement  of  tkl 
Revolt — The  T^alots — Manahcvi — Massacre  of  the  Jews  in  the  Pro- 
vinces— Advance  and  Defeat  of  Cestiui  Oallus. 

At  the  decease  of  Herod  Agrippa,  his  son,  who 
bore  the  same  name,  was  seventeen  years  old.  He 
was  considered  too  young-  to  bear  the  burden  of 
royalty ;  and  Juda;d  relapsed  into  a  Roman  province. 
Cassius  Longinus  was  appointed  to  the  Presidency 
of  Syria.  Cuspius  Fadus  was  sent  as  Governor  of 
Judaea.  Fadus  administered  his  office  with  firm- 
ness. He  found  a  civil  war  disturbing  the  district 
beyond  the  Jordan.  The  inhabitants  of  Per^a,  on 
some  boundary  dispute,  had  attacked  the  Philadel- 
phians.  Fadus  seized  three  of  the  ringleaders ; 
executed  one,  named  Hannibal,  and  banished  the 
rest.  The  easy  yoke  of  Agrippa  had  permitted  the 
robbers,  who  perpetually  rose  up  to  waste  this  fer- 
tile country,  to  gain  head.  Fadus  made  them  feel 
the  vigour  of  the  Roman  arm  :  he  cleared  the  whole 
country  of  their  bands,  and  put  to  death  Ptolemy,  a 
noted  captain,  who  had  committed  great  excesses 
against  the  Idumeans  and  Arabians.  Apprehending, 
it  may  seem,  that  the  High  Priest  possessed  too 
much  independent  authority,  Fadus  proceeded  to 
revoke  the  edict  of  Vitellius,  by  which  the  custody 
oi  the  pontifical  robes  had  been  surrendered.  He 
commanded  that  they  should  be  replaced  in  the  gar- 
rison of  Antonia ;  and  Longinus  himself  appeared 
in  Jerusalem,  with  a  considerable  force,  to  overawe 
all  resistance.     The  Jews  appealed  to  the  Empeior 


IZATES.  IGT 

ivho,  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  young'  Agrippa,  is- 
«ued  an  imperial  mandate  in  favour  of  the  Jews. 
\t  the  same  time  Herod,  li^inorof  Clialcis,  petitioned, 
md  obtained  the  sovereigntj'  over  the  temple,  and 
he  power  of  nominating  the  High  Priest.  He  dis- 
.'laced  Cantherus,  who  had  regained  the  olTice,  and 
appointed  Joseph,  son  of  (Jamith. 

This  was  the  second  year  of  a  grievous  famine,  - 
which  for  several  years  preva  ied  in  Judaea.  The ' 
metropolis  derived  great  advantage  from  the  bounty 
of  a  royal  proselyte,  Helena,  the  queen  of  Adiabene, 
a  district  beyond  the  Tigris.  She  imported  vast 
quantities  of  corn  from  Alexandria,  and  dried  figs 
from  Cyprus,  which  she  distributed  among  the  lower 
orders.  Her  son,  Izates,  who  had  likewise  adopted 
the  Jewish  faith,  sent  great  sums  to  Jerusalem,  for 
the  same  charitable  purposes.  Helena  was  both  the 
wife  and  sister,  according  to  the  ancient  Persian 
usage,  of  Monobazus,  king  of  Adiabene.  Izates  was 
the  favourite  son  of  that  monarch,  who,  apprehen- 
sive of  the  jealousy  with  which  he  was  looked  on 
by  his  brothel s,  sent  them  to  Abennerig,  king  of 
Characene,  a  district  on  the  Persian  gulf,  whose 
daughter  he  married.  In  that  comniercial  district 
there  was  a  Jew  merchant,  named  Ananias,  who 
was  accustomed  to  have  free  ingress  into  the 
women's  apartments,  probably  for  purposes  of 
traffick ;  and  there  seized  every  opportunity  of 
teaching  the  religious  tenets  of  the  Jews.  Izates 
became  a  convert ;  and,  by  a  singular  coincidence, 
his  mother,  Helena,  at  the  same  time  adopted  the 
same  opinions.  On  the  return  of  Izates  to  Adia- 
bene, his  father  made  him  governor  of  a  district 
named  Carrhae,  in  which,  according  to  tradition,  the 
remains  of  Noah's  ark  were  still  to  be  seen.  On 
the  death  of  his  father,  Helena  had  the  address  to 
secure  the  succession  to  the  throne  for  Izates.  Hia 
brother,  Monobazus,  assumed  the  crown  till  he 
should  arrive ;  and  the  rest  of  the  monarch's  sons 


168  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

by  different  mothers,  were  thrown  into  prison,  and 
were  even  in  danfj-'r  of  their  li\  es.  Immediately 
that  Izates  appeared,  Monobazus  abdicated  his 
sovereignty;  Izates  expressed  great  indignation  at 
the  imprisonment  of  his  brethren.  Izates  was  so 
ardent  a  convert  that  he  insisted  on  undergoing  cir- 
cumcision :  his  prudent  preceptor,  Ananias,  for  fear 
lest  the  unpopularity  of  the  measure  should  make 
the  king  odious  to  his  subjects,  and  himself  thus  be 
exposed  to  personal  danger,  dissuaded  him  from  his 
design.  But  a  more  zealous  Galilean  insisted  that 
the  honour  of  God  was  concerned ;  and  the  monarch 
immediately,  to  the  great  alarm  of  Ananias,  sub- 
mitted to  the  rite.  Izates  was  a  king  of  great 
prudence  and  resolution.  By  his  moderation  and 
address  he  reinstated  Artabanus,  king  of  Parthia, 
on  his  throne,  from  which  he  had  been  driven  by 
his  own  satraps ;  and  dissuaded  his  son,  Bardanes, 
from  entering  into  a  war  with  the  Romans.  Bar- 
danes immediately  declared  war  on  Izates  ;  but  he 
was  set  aside  by  his  own  subjects.  The  king's 
brother,  Monobazus,  and  the  chief  satraps  of  the 
kingdom,  endured  for  some  time,  but  with  great 
reluctance,  the  yoke  of  a  sovereign  who  had  aposta- 
tized from  the  national  religion.  They  first  con- 
spired with  Abiah,  an  Arabian  king,  to  invade  Adia- 
bene;  but  Abiah  was  defeated  with  great  loss.  Af- 
terward they  had  recourse  to  Vologeses,  king  of 
Parthia  ;  but  his  invasion  was  arrested  by  a  rebel- 
lion among  his  own  dependants.  On  the  death  of 
Izates,  who  wore  the  crown  for  twenty-four  years, 
his  remains,  and  those  of  his  mother  Helena,  were 
transported  to  Jerusalem,  and  buried  in  a  splendid 
cemetery,  which  remained  till  the  time  of  Jerome. 

Before  the  recall  of  Fadus,  the  peace  of  the 
country  was  disturbed  by  an  impostor,  named  Theu- 
das,  who  gave  himself  out  as  a  prophet,  and  gained 
a  great  number  of  proselytes.  Multitudes  thronged 
forth  with  all  their  possessions  to  the  banks  of  the 


A.C    4 8. J  VENTimUS    CUMANUS.  169 

Jordan,  which  Theudas  asserted  that,  like  Joshua 
of  old,  he  would  divide  in  the  midst,  and  carry  them 
llirough  in  triumph.  Fadus,  with  his  usual  vigi- 
Uince,  seized  the  impostor,  cut  off  his  head,  and  sent 
It  lo  Jerusalem. 

'I'o  Fadus  succeeded  Tiberius  Alexander,  an  apos- 
tate Egyptian  Jew,  the  son  of  Alexander,  the  Ala- 
barc-h  of  Alexandria,  and  nephew  of  the  celebrated 
Philo.  The  only  act  recorded  of  his  short  govern- 
ment was  the  crucifixion  of  James  and  Simon,  two 
sons  of  Judas  the  Galilean,  who  had  attempted  to 
disseminate  the  dangerous  doctrines  of  their  father. 
Notwithstanding,  however,  the  famine,  by  which 
the  land  was  still  afflicted — the  seditious  tenets  ol 
the  Galilean  rebels — and  the  government  of  an 
apostate,  which  must  have  been  singularly  odious 
to  the  zealous  Jews,  the  province  continued  in  peace 
until  the  arrival  of  Ventidius  Cumanus,  to  supersede 
Alexander. 

At  this  time  Herod,  king  of  Chalcis,  died,  having 
once  more  changed  the  High  Priest,  and  substituted 
Ananias,  son  of  Nebid,  for  Joseph,  the  son  of  Ca- 
mith.  He  left  sons  ;  particularly  Aristobulus,  after- 
ward appointed  by  Nero  to  the  kingdom  of  Lesser 
Armenia;  but  the  kingdomof  Chalcis, and  the  sove- 
reignty of  the  temple,  were  assigned  to  young 
,Agrippa,  who  assumed  the  title  of  kmg. 
i  During  the  government  of  Cumanus,  the  low  and 
sullen  murmurs  which  announced  the  approaching 
eruption  of  the  dark  volcano  now  gathering  its 
strength  in  Palestine,  became  more  distinct.  The 
people  and  the  Roman  soldiery  began  to  display 
mutual  animosity.  To  preserve  the  peace  during 
the  crowded  festivals  in  Jerusalem,  the  Romans 
mounted  a  guard  in  the  Antonia  and  in  the  adjacent 
cloister.  One  of  these  soldiers,  to  show  his  con- 
tempt for  the  religious  rites,  indecently  exposed  his 
person.  The  furious  populace  not  only  vented  their 
rage  on  the  offender,  but  uttered  the  most  violent 

II.— 0 


170  HISTORY    OF    THE    JE'-VS  [a   B.  51 

reproaches  against  Cumanus  himself.  The  govemoi 
immediately  ordered  his  whole  forces  into  the  An- 
tonia.  The  affrig-hted  people  fled :  the  narrow 
st-reets  were  choked ;  and  aO,000  perished.  The 
sacrifice  was  suspended,  and  the  whole  city  given 
up  to  wailing  and  lamentation. 

This  disturbance  was  scarcelf^  appeased,  when 
another  succeeded.  Near  Bethhoron,  about  twelve 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  a  party,  half  insurgents  and 
half  robbers,  attacked  in  the  public  road  Stephanas, 
a  slave  of  the  Emperor,  and  plundered  his  baggage. 
Cumanus  sent  a  troop  of  soldiers,  to  plunder  the 
neighbouring  villages,  and  seize  the  chief  persons  in 
them.  During  this  scene  of  pillage,  a  soldier  found 
a  copy  of  the  law  of  Moses,  and  tore  it  to  pieces, 
uttering  the  most  offensive  blasphemies.  The  Jews 
sent  a  formal  deputation  before  Cumanus  to  com- 
plain of  the  insult ;  Cumanus,  by  the  advice  of  his 
friends,  ordered  the  soldier  to  execution. 

The  animosities  of  the  populace  and  the  Roman 
soldiery  were  not  the  only  conflicting  elements  in 
this  distracted  country.  The  jealousies  of  the  na- 
tives began  again  to  break  out.  The  way  by  which 
the  Jews  of  Galilee  went  up  to  the  temple,  led 
through  the  territory  of  Samaria.  The  Samaritans 
waylaid  and  slew  many  of  them.  Cumanus,  bribed 
■oy  the  Samaritans,  refused  to  take  cognizance  of 
any  complaints.  The  Jews,  headed  by  two  valiant 
robber  chieftains,  took  up  arms,  and  set  fire  to  some 
of  the  Samaritan  villages.  Cumanus  marched 
against  them ;  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  Samaritans, 
defeated  them.  Jerusalem  was  in  an  uproar,  and, 
but  for  the  authority  and  influence  of  the  chiefs,  the 
whole  people  would  have  risen  in  insurrection. 
Clad  in  sackcloth,  and  with  ashes  on  their  heads, 
the  priests  and  rulers  passed  through  the  streets, 
entreating  the  insurgents  to  lay  aside  their  arms, 
lest  they  should  bring  fire  and  sword  on  the  city, 
and  ruin  on  the  temple.    With  difficulty  the  tumult 


A.C   55.]  CtAUDIUg  FELIX,  171 

was  allayed  in  Jerusalem.  But  the  whole  country 
was  in  a  state  of  confusion.  The  Samaritans  c;'r- 
ried  their  complaints  before  Ummidius  Quadratub, 
Prefect  of  Syria.  The  Jews  pleaded  the  wanton 
aggression  of  the  Samaritans,  and  their  bribery  of 
Cumanus.  Quadratus  deferred  his  judginent,  till  a 
short  time  after,  having  investigated  the  affair  on 
the  spot,  he  condemned  the  Samaritans ;  but  put  to 
death,  as  seditious  persons,  all  tlie  Jews  taken  by 
Cumanus.  He  then  removed  his  tribunal  to  Lydda, 
where  he  received  information  that  a  certain  Dortus 
and  others  had  openly  exhorted  insurrection  against 
the  Romans.  He  ordered  the  four  ringleaders  to  be 
crucified ;  and  sent  Ananias,  the  High  Priest,  with 
Annas,  the  captain  of  the  temple,  in  chains,  for  trial 
at  Rome.  At  the  same  time  Cumanus,  and  Celer, 
his  military  tribune,  were  also  sent  to  Rome  to 
answer  for  their  conduct  before  the  Emperor. 
From  Lydda,  Quadratus  moved  to  Jerusalem,  and 
finding  peace  entirely  re-established,  he  returned  to 
Antioch. 

Great  interest  was  made  at  Rome  by  Cumanus, 
Celer,  and  the  Samaritan  party;  but  the  influence  of 
Agrippa,  then  at  Rome,  predominated.  Cumanus 
was  banished ;  Celer  sent  to  Jerusalem,  to  be 
dragged  publicly  through  the  streets  and  beheaded 
the  ringleaders  of  the  Samaritvuis  were  put  to  deatli. 

In  evil  hour  for  himself  and  for  his  country,  Jona- 
than, who  had  succeeded  to  the  High-Priesthood, 
Exerted  his  influence  to  obtain  the  appointment  ol 
governor  of  Judaea  for  Claudius  Felix,  brother  of  Pal- 
las, the  freed-slave  and  all-powerful  favourite  of  the  , 
Emperor.  According  to  Tacitus,  who  is  quite  at  vari- 
ance with  the  Jewish  historian,  Felix  was  already  in 
Palestine,  as  independent  governor  in  Samaria,  where 
he  had  inflamed  the  civil  commotions,  and  ought  to 
have  appeared  with  Cumaiuis  as  a  criminal  before 
the  tribunal  of  Quadratus  ;  but  Quadratus,  dreading 
his  interest  at  Rome,  placed  him  by  his  own  side  on 


172  HTSTOEY  OP  THE  JEWS 

♦he  seat  of  justice.    Bom  a  slave,  Felix  was  magni- 
firent  in  his  prnflig-ary.     He  had  three  wives,  all  of 
royal  blood.     One  of  these  was  the  beautiful  Dru- 
sifla,  the  daughter  of  King  Agrippa  I.,  whom,  by  the 
aid  of  Simon,  a  magician  (by  some,  though  impro- 
bably, supposed  the  Simon  Magus  of  the  Acts),  he 
had  seduced  from  her  husband,  Aziz,  king  of  Emesa. 
Aziz  had  carried  his  complacency  so  far  as  to  sub- 
mit to  circumcision  in  order  to  obtain  the  hand  of 
Drusilla,  who  now  gave  up  her  religion  to  marry 
Felix.     Felix  administered  the  province  with  the 
authority  of  a  king,  and  the  disposition  of  a  slave. 
Supported  by  the  interest  of  Pallas,  says  Tacitus, 
he  thought  he  might  commit  all  crimes  with  impu- 
nity.    The  land  was  full  of  armed  robbers,  who 
wasted  the  country.     Felix  at  first  proceeded  with 
vigour  and  severity  against  them;  but  afterward, 
for  his   private  ends,  entered  into   a  confederacy 
with  some  of  the  most  daring.     The  High  Priest, 
Jonathan,  assuming  the  privilege  of  a  friend,  like 
the  Christian  Apostle,  would  reason  with  him  on 
temperance  and  righteousness.     His  remonstrances, 
if  at  the  time  they  produced  the  same  effect,  ami 
made  Felix  tremble,  were  fatal  to  himself.     Felix, 
weary  with  his  importunity,  entered  into  a  secret 
conspiracy  with  some  of  the  Sicarii,  or  assassins, 
the  most  extravagant  of  the  school  of  Judas  the 
Galilean.     These  were  men,  some  fanatics,  some 
unprincipled  desperadoes,  who  abused  the  precepts 
of  the  Mosaic  law,  as  authorizing  the  murder  of  :.ll 
on  whom  they  might  affix  the  brand  of  hostility  to 
their  country  and  their  God.     Having  bribed  Dor.is, 
the  intimate  friend  of  Jonathan,  through  liis  means 
F'elix  sent  a  party  of  these  wretches  hito  the  temple. 
Witli  their  daggers  under  their  cloaks,  they  mingled 
with  the  attendants  of  the  High  Priest.     They  pre- 
tended to  join  in  the  public  worship,  and  suddenly 
struck  dead  the  unsuspecting  pontiff,  who  lay  bleed- 
ing on  the   sacred  pavement.     From  this  period. 


A.C    52.]  DEATH  OF  CLAtTDICS.  173 

says  the  indig-nant  Josephus,  God  hated  his  guilty 
cjty,  and  disdaiiiincr  any  longer  to  dwell  in  his  con- 
taminated temple,  brought  the  Romans  to  purify 
with  fire  tlie  sins  of  the  nation. 

The  crime  remained  unrevenged  and  unnoticed. 
The  assassins,  imboldened  by  their  impunity,  car- 
ried on  their  dreadful  work.  No  man  was  secure. 
Some  from  private  enmity,  others  on  account  of 
their  wealth,  as  they  pursued  their  peaceful  occu- 
pations, were  struck  dead  by  men  who  passed  by, 
apparently  unarmed,  and  as  peacefully  disposed  as 
themselves.  Even  the  temple  was  not  a  place  of 
safety ;  the  worshipper  did  not  know  but  that  the 
man  who  knelt  by  his  side  was  preparing  to  plunge 
his  dagger  to  his  heart. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  city;  the  country  was 
not  much  more  secure.  The  robbers  multiplied, 
and  grew  more  bold.  Nor  were  these  the  worst; 
in  every  quarter  arose  impostors,  and  pretenders  to 
magic,  who,  asserting  their  miraculous  powers,  led 
the  people  into  desert  places,  and  harangued  them 
on  the  impiety  of  obedience  to  the  Roman  govern- 
ment. Felix  in  vain  scoured  the  country  with  his 
horse ;  as  fast  as  some  were  seized  and  crucified, 
others  arose,  and  the  fanatical  spirit  of  the  people 
constantly  received  new  excitement.  The  most 
formidable  of  these  men,  was  a  Jew  of  Egyptian 
birth.  He  assembled  in  the  desert,  probably  that  ot 
Quarantania,  between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho,  as 
many  as  30.000  followers.  He  led  them  to  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  pointing  to  the  city  below, 
assured  them  that  its  walls  would  fall  down  and 
admit  his  triumphal  entrance.  Felix  marched  out 
to  attack  him :  the  Egyptian  escaped  ;  but  many  of 
his  followers  were  killed,  and  many  taken,  the  resl 
dispersed. 

In  the  meantime  Claudius  died,  having  promoted 
Agrippa  from  the  kingdom  of  Chaleis  to  the  more 
extensive    dominion — the    Tetr^o-chate   of   Philip, 


174  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  *  A.C.  63 

Gaulonitis,  Trachonitis,  Batanea,  and  Paneas,  to 
which  were  afterward  added  part  of  Galilee  and 
Peraea.  On  the  whole,  the  government  of  Claudius 
was  favourable  to  the  race  of  Israel ;  but  rather  as 
Bibjects  of  his  friend  Agrippa,  than  as  Jews.  At 
Mie  time  he  closed  their  synagogues,  and  expelled 
them  from  Rome — probably  on  account  of  some 
tumult  caused  by  their  persecutions  of  the  Chris- 
tians. Agrippa  appointed  Ismael,  son  of  Fabi  to 
the  pontificate,  vacant  since  the  death  of  Jonathan 
— though  in  this  interval,  probably,  a  kind  of  illegi- 
timate authority  had  been  resumed  by  that  Ananias, 
son  of  Nebid,  who  had  been  sent  in  chains  to  Rome 
by  Quadratus,  and  had  been  released  through  the 
influence  of  Agrippa.  It  was  that  Ananias  who 
commanded  St.  Paul  to  be  struck,  when  he  was  ad- 
dressing the  people.  St.  Paul  either  did  not  know, 
or  did  not  recognise  his  doubtful  title. 

Up  to  this  period,  according  to  the  representation 
of  the  Jewish  annalist,  the  pontificate  had  remained 
almost  entirely  uncontaminated  by  the  general 
license  and  turbulence  which  distracted  the  nation. 
The  priests  were  in  general  moderate  and  upright 
men,  who  had  endeavoured  to  maintain  the  peace 
of  the  city.  Now  the  evil  penetrated  into  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  feuds  rent  the  sacred  family  of  Levi.  A 
furious  schism  broke  out  between  the  Chief  Priests 
and  the  inferior  priesthood.  Each  party  collected  a 
band  of  ruffians,  and  assailed  each  other  with  vio- 
lent reproaches,  and  even  with  stones.  No  one 
interfered  to  repress  the  tumult;  and  the  High 
Priests  are  said  to  have  sent  their  slaves  to  levy  by 
force  the  tithes  which  belonged  to  the  inferior  priest- 
hood, many  of  whom  in  consequence  perished  with 
hunger.  Even  the  worst  excesses  of  the  Sicarii 
seem  to  have  been  authorized  by  the  priesthood  for 
their  twn  purposes.  The  forty  men  who,  with  the 
connivance  of  the  priests,  bound  themselves  by  a 
vow  "o  assassinate  *t.  Paul,  if  not  of  the  frater- 


DISTURBANCES  IN  C^SAREA.  175 

riity,  recognised  the  principles  of  that  sanguinary 
crew. 

It  was  in  Caesarea  that  the  events  took  place 
which  led  to  the  final  rupture  with  Rome.  This 
magnificent  city  had  rapidly  risen  to  a  high  degree 
of  wealth  and  populousness.  It  was  inhabited  by 
two  races — the  Syrian  Greeks,  who  were  heathens, 
and  the  Jews.  The  two  parties  violently  contended 
for  the  pre-eminence.  The  Jews  insisted  on  the 
foundation  of  the  city  by  Herod  their  king,  and  on 
its  occupying  the  site  of  the  old  Jewish  town  called 
the  tower  of  Straton;  the  Greeks  appealed  to  the 
statues  and  temples  which  Herod  himself  had 
erected,  which  clearly  proved  that  Caesarea  was 
intended  for  a  Pagan  city.  The  feud  became  gra- 
dually more  fierce ;  tumults  and  bloodshed  dis- 
turbed the  streets.  The  more  aged  and  prudent  of 
the  Jews  could  not  restrain  their  followers.  The 
Jews  were  the  more  wealthy;  but  the  Roman  sol- 
diery, chiefly  levied  in  Syria,  took  part  with  their 
countrymen.  The  officers  attempted,  but  in  vain, 
to  keep  the  peace ;  and  when  Felix  himself  came 
forth  to  disperse  a  party  of  Jews,  who  had  got  the 
better  in  an  affray,  they  treated  his  authority  with 
contempt.  Felix  commanded  his  troops  to  charge 
them.  The  soldiery  were  too  glad  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  signal  for  license ;  many  of  the  Jews 
fell,  many  were  seized,  and  some  of  the  more  opu- 
lent houses  plundered.  After  the  recall  of  Felix,  a 
deputation  of  each  party  was  sent  to  Rome,  to  lay 
the  whole  case  before  the  Emperor.  The  Jews 
brought  heavy  charges  against  Felix,  but  the  power- 
ful protection  of  his  brother  Pallas,  who  was  high 
in  favour  with  Nero,  secured  his  impunity.  The 
Greeks,  by  a  large  bribe  to  Burrhus,  who  had  been 
the  preceptor  of  \ero,  obtained  a  decree  which  de- 
prived the  Jews  of  the  rights  of  equal  citizenship. 
This  decree  still  further  inflamed  the  contest.  The 
Greeks  became  more  and  more  msulting ;  the  Jews 
more  and  more  turbulent. 


178  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [a.(     60. 

In  the  rest  of  the  province  the  adm-inistration  of 
the  ri^id  but  upright  Porcius  Festus  caused  a  short 
interval  of  comparative  peace.  Festns  kept  down 
all  the  bands,  whether  we  are  to  call  them,  robbers 
or  insurgents,  and  repressed  the  Sicarii.  His  sol- 
diers put  to  death  an  impostor  who  had  led  multi- 
tudes into  the  desert. 

At  this  period  King  Agrippa  resided  in  Jerusalem, 
in  the  palace  of  the  Asmonean  princes,  which  stood 
on  the  cliff  of  Mount  Sion,  towards  the  temple.     In 
front  of  this  was  the  Xystus,  an  open  colonnade, 
which  was  connected  by  a  bridge  with  the  temple. 
Agrippa  reared  a  lofty  building  in  this  palace,  which 
commanded  a  beautiful  prospect  of  the  whole  city, 
particularly  of  the  temple  courts.     Reposing  on  his 
couch  he  might  see  the  whole  course  of  the  religious 
ceremonies.     The  priesthood  were  indignant  at  the 
intrusion,  and  hastily  ran  up  a  wall,  on  the  western 
side  of  their  own  court,  by  which  they  intercepted 
not  merely  the  view  of  the  king,  but  that  of  the 
Roman   guard  which  was   mounted    in  the   outer 
western  portico.     Agrippa  and  Festus  ordered  the 
demolition  of  this  wall.     The  Jews  demanded  per- 
mission to  appeal  to  Nero  ;  Festus  consented,  and  a 
deputation  of  ten,  headed  bylsmael,  the  High  Priest, 
and  Hilkiah,  the  keeper  of  the  treasury,  set  off  to 
Rome.     There  they  obtained  the  interest  of  Poppea, 
the  profligate  empress  of  Nero,  whom  Josephus  de- 
scribes as  devout,  as  if  she  had  been  inclined  to  the 
Jewish  religion :  if  so,  she  was  no  very  creditable 
proselyte.     Through  her  interest  the  wall  was  per- 
mitted to  stand,  but  the  High  Priest  and  treasurer 
were  detained  at  Rome.     Agrippa  seized  the  oppor- 
tuni.y  of  appointing  another  High  Priest — Joseph, 
named  Cabi,  son  of  Simon  Cantherus.     Soon  after, 
he  degraded  Joseph,  and  appointed  Annas,  the  fifth 
son  of  Annas,  in  Jewish  estimation  the  happiest  of 
men,  for  he  himself  had  been  High  Priest,  and  had 
seen  his  five  sons  and  his  son-in-law,  Caiaphas,  sue- 


A.C.  62.]  KING  AGRirrA  II.  177 

cessively  promoted  to  that  dignity.  Annas  united 
himself  to  the  sfct  of  the  Sadrlucees,  if  he  did  not 
inherit  those  doctrines  from  his  father.  The  Sad- 
ducees  were  noted  for  their  rig'id  administration  of 
the  law  ;  and  while  the  plaee  of  tlie  Roman  govercnr 
was  vacant,  he  seized  the  opportunity  of  putting  to 
death  James  the  Just,  and  others  of  the  Christians 
at  the  feast  of  the  Passover.  But  the  act  was  un- 
popular, and  Agrippa  deprived  him  of  the  priesthood, 
and  appointed  Jesus,  son  of  Damnai.  Unhappily 
for  this  devoted  country  the  upright  Festus  died  in 
Judaea,  and  Albinus  arrived  as  his  successor.  With 
the  rapacious  Albinus,  every  thing  became  venal. 
At  first  he  proceeded  with  severity  against  the  rob- 
bers, but  in  a  short  time  began  to  extort  enormous 
ransoms  for  their  freedom.  This  was  little  better 
than  to  set  a  premium  on  robbery  and  assassination. 
In  the  meantime  the  taxes  were  increased,  and  the 
M'asted  country  groaned  under  the  heaviest  burdens. 
Two  men  alone  grew  rich  amid  the  general  distress, 
the  Roman  governor  and  Ananias,  formerly  Higli 
Priest,  who,  keeping  both  Albinus  and  the  High 
Priest  in  pay,  committed  all  kinds  of  outrages, 
seizing  the  tithes  of  the  inferior  priesthood,  who 
were  again  so  reduced  that  many  of  them  died  of 
famine.  Ananias  was  too  wealthy  a  prize  to  escape 
the  robbers  who  infested  the  country.  In  the  open 
day,  and  at  the  time  of  a  festival,  they  seized  the 
scribe  of  Eleazar,  captain  of  the  guard,  who  was  pro- 
bably the  son  of  Ananias,  carried  him  off,  and  de- 
manded as  a  ransom  the  release  of  ten  of  their 
companions,  who  were  in  prison.  Ananias  per- 
suaded Albinus,  no  doubt  by  a  great  bribe,  to  com- 
ply. Encouraged  by  this  success,  whenever  any 
one  of  the  assassins  was  taken,  they  seized  one  of 
the  dependants  on  Ananias,  and  demanded  an  ex- 
change. 

Agri])pa,  as  if  he  foresaw  the  approaching  danger, 
began  to  prepare  a  place  of  retreat.     He  enlarged 


178  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS 

the  city  of  Oaesarea  Philippi,  (Paneas,)  and  called  it 
NWonias;  but  his  fbi«f  pxnonditnre  was  made  at 
Berytus,  where  he  built  a  tlieatre,  and  at  great  cost 
provided  for  the  most  splendid  exhibitions.  He 
likewise  distributed  corn  and  oil ;  collected  a  iioble 
gallery  of  statues,  and  copies  from  the  antique;  in 
short  he  transferred  to  that  city  the  chief  splendour 
of  his  kingdom.  This  liberality  to  a  foreign  city 
was  highly  unpopular  at  Jerusalem ;  the  degrada- 
tion of  Jesus,  son  of  Damnai,  and  the  appointment 
of  Jesus,  son  of  Gamaliel,  increased  the  general 
discontent.  Each  of  these  rival  High  Priests  had 
his  party,  who  attacked  each  other  in  the  streets ; 
in  short,  every  one  who  had  wealth  or  power  assem- 
bled his  armed  adherents  ;  Ananias,  as  the  richest, 
got  together  the  strongest  band ;  and  two  relatives 
of  Agrippa,  Saul  and  Costobar,  appeared  at  the  head 
of  their  own  followers,  plundering  on  all  sides  with 
out  scruple.  Albinus  aggravated  the  mischief. 
Having  heard  of  his  intended  recall,  he  brought  forth 
all  the  malefactors,  who  crowded  the  prisons,  exe- 
cuted the  most  notorious,  but  allowed  all  the  rest  to 
pay  their  ransoms.  Thus  the  prisons  were  empty, 
but  the  whole  province  filled  with  these  desperate 
ruffians.  The  completion  of  the  works  in  the  tem- 
ple added  to  the  multitude  of  the  idle  and  unem- 
ployed— eighteen  thousand  workmen  were  dis- 
charged. The  more  prudent  of  the  people  dreaded 
the  letting  loose  this  vast  number  of  persons,  with- 
out employment,  on  society;  and  with  no  less  fore- 
thought they  apprehended  the  accumulation  of  vast 
treasures  in  the  temple,  which  had  hitherto  been  for 
the  most  part  profitably  einployed  on  the  public 
buildings,  and  would  now  serve  no  purpose,  but  to 
excite  the  rapacity  of  the  Romans.  They  petitioned 
that  the  eastern  gate  might  be  raised  to  a  greater 
degree  of  magnifi(;en(!e.  Agrippa,  who  was  in- 
trusted by  the  emperor  with  the  command  over  the 
temple,  refused,  but  permitted  them  to  pave  the 


A.C.   45.]  GESSIUS  FIiORUS.  179 

city  with  stone.  He  afterward  deposed  Jesus,  son 
of  Gamaliel,  and  appointed  Matthias,  the  last  legiti- 
mate High  Priest  of  Jerusalem. 

Nothing  was  wanting  to  fill  the  measure  of  cala- 
mity which  this  fruitful  and  once  happy  land  was 
to  exhaust,  but  the  nomination  of  a  governor,  like 
Gessius  Florus,  who  made  the  people  look  back  with 
regret  to  the  administration  of  the  rapacious  Albinus. 
Albinus  at  least  dissembled  his  cruelties  and  exac- 
tions. Relying  on  the  protection  of  the  empress, 
who  was  attached  to  his  wife  Cleopatra,  by  long 
friendship  and  kindred  disposition,  Florus  made  an 
ostentatious  display  of  his  oppressions.  Without 
compunction,  and  without  shame,  as  crafty  as  he 
was  cruel,  he  laid  deliberate  schemes  of  iniquity,  by 
which  at  somr  distant  period  he  was  to  reap  his  har- 
vest of  plunder.  He  pillaged  not  only  individuals, 
but  even  communities,  and  seemed  to  grant  a  gene- 
ral indemnity  for  spoliation,  if  he  was  only  allowed 
his  fair  portion  of  the  plunder.  Many  villages 
and  towns  were  entirely  deserted,  the  inhabitants 
left  their  native  country  to  fly  beyond  the  reach  of 
his  administration.  Cestius  Gall  us,  a  man  of  a  con- 
genial spirit,  commanded  in  Syria.  The  fear  of 
Florus,  as  long  as  Cestius  remained  in  Syria,  pre- 
vented the  Jews  from  appealing  to  his  tribunal ;  they 
would  not  have  been  suffered  to  arrive  there  in 
safety.  But  when  Cestius,  during  the  days  pre- 
ceding the  Passover,  visited  Jerusalem,  three  mil- 
lions of  suppliants,  that  is  the  whole  population 
assembled  for  the  great  aimual  feast,  surrounded 
him,  and  entreated  his  interference.  Florus  stood 
oy  the  side  of  Cestius,  turning  their  complaints  into 
ridicule.  Cestius,  however,  promised  that  he  would 
use  his  interest  with  Florus  to  treat  them  with  greater 
moderation,  and  Florus,  without  furtlier  reproof,  was 
permitted  to  escort  his  colleague  in  iniquity,  on  his 
way  to  Antioch,  as  far  as  Caesarea. 

In  the  mean  time  wild  and  awful  prodigies,  thus 


180  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.  [a.C.  65. 

the  Jewish  annalist  relates,  had  filled  t  ae  timid  with 
apprenensions  of  the  approaching  desolation.     But 
the  blind  and  desperate  multitude  neglected  all  these 
signs  of  Almighty  wrath.     A  comet,  which  had  the 
appearance  of  a  sword,  hung  above  the  city  for  a 
whole  year.     While  the  people  were  assembled  at 
the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  at  the  sixth  hour  of 
the  night,  a  sudden  light,  as  bright  as  day,  shone 
about  the  altar  and  the  temple,  and  continued  for 
about  half  an  hour.     A  cow  led  forth  to  sacrifice, 
brought  forth  a  calf.     The  inner  gate  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  temple  was  made  of  brass  and  of  such 
immense  weight,  as  to  require  twenty  men  to  close 
it  in  the  evening.     It  was  fastened  by  strong  iron 
bolts,  let  into  the  stone  door  posts.     Suddenly  this 
gate  flew  open,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that 
the  assembled  guard  could  close  it.     This  the  vul- 
gar considered  a  good  sign,  as  indicating  that  God 
had  opened  the  gate  of  blessing,  but  the  wise  more 
sadly  interpreted  it  as  a  manifest  sign  of  the  inse- 
curity of  the  temple,  and   that   it    prefigured   the 
opening  of  the  gate  of  the  holy  place  to  the  enemy. 
A  few  days  after  this  festival,  a  still  more  incredible 
circumstance  occurred.     Such,  says  Josephus,  as 
would  appear  a  fable,  had  it  not  been  attested  by 
eyewitnesses,  and  justified  by  the  subsequent  events. 
Before  sunset,  chariots  and  armed  squadrons  were 
seen  in  the  heavens;  they  mingled,  and  formed  in 
array,  so  as  to  seem  to  encircle  the  city  in  their 
j-apid  and  terrific  career.     And  on  the  Pentecost, 
when  the  priests  on  duty  entered  by  night  into  the 
temple,  they  said  that  they  heard  a  movement  and  a 
noise,  and  presently  the  voice  as  it  were  of  a  great 
host,  which  said,  "  Let  us  depart  hence."     But  more 
alarming  still!   while  the  city  was  yet  at  peace  and 
in  prosperity,  a  countryman,  named  Jesus,  son  ol 
Ananus,  began  suddenly  to  cry  aloud  in  the  temple-— 
A  voice  from  the  east !  a  voice  from  the  west .'  a  voice 
from  the  four  'vuinds !  a  voire  against  Jerusalem  and 


A.C.   65.]  PRODIGIES.  181 

against  the  .mple !  a  voice  against  the  c  riJegrooini 
and  the  brides .'  u  vaice  ogcinsi  the  Zihole  people  !  l):'.y 
and  night  in  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city  lie  went 
along  repeating  these  words  with  a  loud  voics. 
Some  of  the  leaders  seized  him,  and  had  him 
severely  beaten.  He  uttered  no  remonstrance,  no 
entreaty  for  mercy,  he  seemed  entirely  regardless 
about  his  own  person,  but  still  went  on  reiterating 
his  fearful  burthen.  The  magistrates  then  appre- 
hended him,  and  led  him  before  Albinus,  the  Roman 
governor ;  there  he  was  scourged  till  his  bones  could 
be  seen,  he  uttered  neither  shriek  of  pain,  nor  prayer 
for  mercy,  but  raising  his  sad  and  broken  voice  as 
loud  as  he  could,  at  eveiy  blow  cried  out,  Wo,  wo 
to  Jerusalem.  Albinus  demanded  who  he  was,  and 
whence  he  came  ]  he  answered  not  a  word.  The 
Roman  at  length  supposing  that  he  was  mad,  let  him 
go.  All  the  four  years  that  intervened  before  the 
war,  he  paid  no  attention  to  any  one,  and  never 
spoke,  excepting  the  same  words.  Wo,  wo  to  Jerusa- 
lem. He  never  cursed  any  one  who  struck  him,  nor 
thanked  any  one  who  gave  him  food.  His  only 
answer  was  the  same  melancholy  presage.  He 
was  particularly  active  during  the  festivals,  and 
then  with  greater  frequency,  and  still  deeper  voice, 
he  cried.  Wo,  wo  to  the  city  and  to  the  temple.  At 
length,  during  the  siege,  he  suddenly  cried  out.  Wo, 
wo  to  myself '  and  was  struck  dead  by  a  stone  from 
a  baiista. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  prophecies  of  the 
approaching  ruin  of  Jerusalem,  disseminated  by  the 
Christians,  might  add  to  the  general  apprehension 
Mingled  as  they  were  with  the  mass  of  the  people, 
their  distinct  assurances  that  their  divine  teacher 
had  foretold  the  speedy  dissolution  of  the  state, 
could  scarely  remain  unknown,  especially  when,  in 
obedience  to'the  command  of  Christ,  they  abandoned 
Jerusalem  hi  a  body,  and  retreated  to  Pella,  a  town 
beyond  the  Jordan. 


182  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

There  was  another  sign,  which  might  have  given 
warning  to  the  political  s;igacity  or  to  the  humanity 
of  the  Romans,  upon  the  nature  of  the  approaching 
conquest,  as  showing  how  immense  a  population 
they  were  thus  driving  to  desperation,  and  what 
horrible  carnage  would  be  necessary,  before  they 
could  finally  subdue  the  rebellious  province.  When 
Cestms  Gallus  was  at  Jerusalem,  at  the  time  of  the 
Passover,  he  inquired  the  number  of  Jews  present 
from  all  quarters.  The  priests  counted  the  lambs 
sacrificed,  and  found  255,600.  None  but  Jews  and 
iliose  free  from  legal  impurities  might  sacrifice. 
Reckoning  at  a  low  average  of  ten  to  each  lamb, 
the  numbers  were  2,556,000.  Josephus  supposes  that 
three  millions  would  not  have  been  an  hnmoderate 
calculation. 

The  fatal  flame  finally  broke  out  from  the  old 
feud  at  Caesarea.  The  decree  of  Nero  had  assigned 
the  magistracy  of  that  city  to  the  Greeks.  It  hap- 
pened that  the  Jews  had  a  synagogue,  the  ground 
around  which  belonged  to  a  Greek.  For  this  spot 
the  Jews  offered  a  much  higher  price  than  it  was 
worth.  It  was  refused,  and  to  annoy  them  as  much 
as  possible,  the  owner  set  up  some  mean  shops  and 
buildings  upon  it,  and  rendered  the  approach  to  the 
synagogue  as  narrow  and  difficult  as  he  could.  The 
more  hotheaded  of  the  Jewish  youth  interrupted  the 
workmen.  The  men  of  greater  wealth  and  influence, 
and  among  them,  John,  a  Publican,  collected  the 
large  sum  of  eight  talents,  and  sent  it  as  a  bribe  to 
Florus,  that  he  might  interfere  and  stop  the  building. 
Florus  received  the  money,  made  great  promises;, 
and  immediately  left  Cagsarea  for  Sebaste,  in  order 
to  leave  full  scope  for  the  riot.  On  the  following 
day,  a  sabbath,  while  the  Jews  were  crowding  to  the 
synagogue,  a  man  overset  an  earthen  vessel  in  the 
way,  and  began  to  sacrifice  birds  upon  it.  It  has 
been  conjectured  that  this  was  a  particularly  offen- 
sive jest.     The  heathens  generally  represented  the 


TC:>IULT  AT  JERUSALEM  '  83 

orig'in  of  the  Jews  as  having:  been  expelled  from 
Egypt  as  a  race  of  lepers,  and  siii -3  birds  weie  ihe 
first  sacrifice  appointed  in  cases  of  leprosy,  it  was 
most  likely  meant  to  g-all  the  old  wound.  However 
that  may  be,  the  more  violent  Jews,  furious  at  the 
affront,  attacked  the  Greeks.  The  Greeks  were 
already  in  arms,  waiting  for  this  signal  for  the  affray. 
Jucundus,  the  governor,  attempted  in  vain  to  appease 
the  tumult,  till  at  length,  the  .lews  being  worsted, 
took  up  the  books  of  their  law,  and  went  away  to 
Narbata,  about  1^  miles  distance.  John,  the  Pub- 
lican, with  twelve  of  the  highest  rank,  went  to 
Samaria  to  Florus,  entreated  his  assistance,  and 
modestly  reminded  him  of  the  eight  talents  he  had 
received.  Florus  threw  them  into  prison  with  every 
mark  of  indignity. 

The  news  of  this  outrage  and  injustice  spread  to 
Jenisalem ;  the  city  was  in  a  state  of  violent  ex- 
citement. It  was  the  deliberate  purpose  of  Florus 
to  drive  the  people  to  insurrection,  both  that  all  in- 
quiry into  his  fonner  oppressions  might  be  drowned 
by  the  din  of  war;  and  that  he  might  have  better 
opportunities  for  plunder;  he  seized  this  critica 
moment  to  demand  seventeen  talents  from  the  sacrea 
treasury  under  pretence  of  Caesar's  necessities.  The 
people  assembled  around  the  temple  with  the  loudest 
outcries.  The  name  of  Florus  was  passed  from 
one  to  another  with  every  epithet  of  hatred  and  con- 
tempt. Some  carried  about  a  basket,  entreating 
alms  for  the  poor  beggar,  Florus.  iVeglecting  en- 
tirely the  tumult  in  Csesarea,  Florus  advanced  with 
all  the  force  he  could  collect  against  Jerusalem.  To 
h's  disappointment,  the  people,  instead  of  maintain- 
ing their  serlitious  demeanour,  endeavoured  to  excite 
his  clemencvbythe  most  submissive  and  humiliating 
conduct.  They  crowded  forth,  received  his  army 
with  acclam  It  ions,  and  hailed  the  Procurator  him- 
self as  a  public  benefactor.  But  Florus  was  too 
keen  sighted  to  be  imposed  upon  by  these  unmerited 


/84  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS         [16  May, 

marks  of  popularity.  He  chose  to  remember  nothing 
bat  the  insults  and  contumely  willi  which  his  name 
had  been  treated.  He  sent  forward  Capito  with  fifty 
horse,  commanding  the  people  to  disperse ;  they 
obeyed,  and,  retreating  to  their  houses,  passed  the 
night  in  trembling  expectation  of  his  vengeance. 

Florus  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  Palace.  In  the 
morning  his  tribunal  was  erected  before  the  gates. 
The  High  Priest,  and  all  the  leaders  of  the  people 
(probably  the  Sanhedrin)  were  summoned  to  attend. 
Florus  demanded  the  surrender  of  all  those  who  had 
insulted  his  name,  and  added,  if  the  heads  of  the 
people  refused  or  delayed,  he  should  proceed  against 
them  as  responsible  for  the  offence.  The  priests 
represented  the  general  peaceable  disposition  of  the 
city,  and  entreated  his  forbearance,  throwing  the 
blame  on  a  few  hotheaded  youths,  whom  it  was  mi- 
possible  to  detect,  as  all  had  repented,  and  none  would 
confess  their  guilt.  At  these  words  Florus  broke 
out  into  the  most  violent  fury,  lie  gave  the  signal  to 
his  troops  to  plunder  the  upper  market,  and  put  to 
death  all  they  met.  The  soldiery  were  but  too 
ready  instruments  of  his  cruelty.  They  cleared 
the  market,  they  broke  into  the  houses,  pillaged 
them,  and  put  to  death  the  inhabitants.  The  narrow 
streets  were  crowded  with  fugitives;  many  who 
escaped  the  sword,  were  trampled  to  death.  Unof 
fending  citizens  were  seized,  carried  before  Florus, 
scourged,  and  crucified.  Of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, for  neither  age  nor  sex  were  spared,  there  fell 
that  day  3600.  Florus  paid  no  regard  to  the  sacred 
rights  of  Roman  citizenship;  some  freemen  of  the 
first  distinction,  for  many  of  the  Jews  had  attained 
even  the  equestrian  rank,  were  scourged  and  exe- 
cuted with  their  meaner  countrymen. 

Agrippa  was  absent  in  Egypt,  but  his  sister  Be- 
renii;e  was  in  Jerusalem,  in  pursuance  of  a  religious 
vow.  She  sent  repeated  messages  to  Florus,  en- 
treating him  to  stay  the  fury  qf  his  soldiers ;  and 


A.O.  66.]  PAOIFIOATION  185 

even  herself,  in  her  penitential  attire,  with  her  hair 
shorn  and  with  naked  feet,  stood  before  his  tribunal. 
The  Roman  was  deaf  to  her  entreaties;  he  had  no 
ear  but  for  the  accounts  of  the  wealth,  which  was 
brought  in,  every  hour,  in  great  masses.  Even  in 
the  presence  of  Berenice,  her  miserable  countrymen 
were  scourged  and  hewn  down.  She,  herself,  was 
obliged  to  take  refuge  in  one  of  tlie  royal  residences, 
and  dared  not  go  to  rest,  lest  the  soldiers  should 
force  their  way  through  her  feeble  guard. 

The  next  day  multitudes  assembled  in  the  scene 
of  the  massacre,  the  upper  market-place ;  and  among 
the  wailings  for  the  dead,  were  heard  but  half  sup- 
pressed execrations  and  menacf^s  against  the  cruel 
Florus.  The  chief  heads  of  the  city  with  the  priests 
were  in  the  greatest  alarm,  they  tore  their  robes, 
rushed  among  the  people,  addiessed  them  indivi- 
dually with  the  most  earnest  entreaties  not  again 
to  provoke  the  anger  of  the  governor.  The  popu- 
lace, partly  out  of  respect,  paitly  out  ol  fear,  quietly 
dispersed. 

Florus  and  his  satellites  alone  were  grieved  at 
this  pacification;  he  determined,  if  possible,  to  renew 
these  profitable  tumults.  He  sent  for  the  priests  and 
leaders,  and  commanded  them,  as  the  last  proof  of 
their  submission,  to  go  forth  and  receive  with  the 
utmost  cordiality,  two  cohorts  of  troops  who  were 
advancing  from  Caesarea.  The  priests  assembled 
the  people  in  the  temple,  made  known  the  orders  ot 
Florus,  and  exiiorted  them  to  obedience.  The  more 
turbulent  did  not  disguise  their  seditious  intentions. 
Then,  all  the  priesthood,  the  Levites,  the  musicians 
and  singers  in  their  sacred  vestments,  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  supplicated  the  people,  that  they  would  not 
bring  down  certain  ruin  on  the  whole  city,  or  give 
excuse  to  the  rapacious  j)luiKierer  to  profane  the 
iioly  place,  and  pillage  the  sacred  treasures  of  God. 
The  priests  of  the  highest  rank,  with  robes  rent,  and 
ashes  on  their  heads,  went  about,  calling  on  the  roost 
II.— P 


186  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

influential  by  name,  and  urgnig-  with  the  most  solemn 
vehemence,  that  however  degrading  the  submission 
to  the  commands  of  Florus,  it  was  a  trifling-  saeri- 
,»fice,  if  it  might  avert  the  desolation  of  the  city,  and 
all  the  horrors  of  war .  that  it  would  be  the  height  of 
madness  to  allow  themselves  to  be  borne  away  by  a 
few  of  the  factious,  or  misguided  populace,  whom 
they,  the  rather,  ought  to  overawe  with  their  au- 
thority. 

They  succeeded  in  allaying,  for  the  time,  the  en- 
raged multitude,  the  more  turbulent  were  silenced, 
as  menaces  were  mingled  with  entreaties ;  and  the 
chief  priests  led  forth  tlie  whole  populace  in  peace- 
ful array.  The  procession,  in  obedience  to  their 
admonitions,  welcomed  the  cohorts  with  apparent 
gladness.  The  cohorts,  who  had  received  their 
secret  instructions  from  Florus,  advanced  in  sullen 
silence,  not  condescending  to  return  the  greetings. 
The  more  violent  Jews  tooli  fire,  and  broke  out  into 
audible  imprecations  against  Florus.  The  troops 
turned  upon  them ;  struck  them  with  their  staves ; 
the  horsemen  rode  over  them,  and  trampled  them 
down ;  many  were  bruised,  many  wounded.  At  the 
gates  there  was  a  violent  rush  to  obtain  entrance. 
Those  behind  pressed  on  those  before ;  the  horse- 
men came  trampling  on,  and  forcing  their  way 
through  the  dense  mass ;  numbers  fell,  pushed  down 
by  their  own  people,  or  under  the  hoofs  ol  the 
horses ;  their  bodies  were  so  crushed  and  mangled, 
that  when  they  were  taken  up  for  burial,  they  could 
not  be  distinguished  by  their  friends. 

The  soldiery  still  kept  on,  advancing,  and  driving 
the  multitude  before  them,  or  riding  over  them  all 
through  the  suburb  of  Bezetha.  Tlieir  object  was  to 
press  forward  and  gain  possession  at  the  same  time 
of  the  Antonia  and  the  temple.  At  tliis  moment 
Florus  sallied  from  the  Palace,  and  attempted  to 
force  his  way  to  that  part  of  the  castle,  which  joined 
the  temple,  but  without  success.    For  the  people 


CONFLICT  IN  JERCSALEM.  Hi'i 

bIo<!ked  up  the  narrow  streets,  so  that  his  men  could 
not  cut  their  \rny  throiicrh  the  living  masses,  ;;iid 
were  themselves  beaten  down  by  stones  and  missiles 
from  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  They  retreated  to 
their  quarters.  Tlie  insurgents  appreliending  that 
the  enemy  might  force  their  way  Irom  the  Antonia 
to  the  temple,  cut  off  the  porticoes  and  galleries 
which  connected  them,  This  bold  measure  made 
riorus  despair  of  succeeding  in  his  main  object,  the 
plunder  of  the  sacred  treasury,  during  the  confusion. 
He  suspended  the  attack,  sent  for  the  chief  priests 
and  rulers,  and  proposed  to  evacuate  the  city ;  but 
offered  to  leave  a  guard  of  sufficient  force  to  pre- 
serve the  peace.  They  entreated  him  to  leave  only 
one  cohort,  and  that,  not  the  one  which  had  been 
engaged  against  the  people.  On  these  terms,  Florus 
retired  unmolested  to  Ca^sarea. 

But  Florus  did  not  yet  despair  of  inflaming  the 
province  and  commencing  an  open  war  on  more 
advantageous  terms.  He  sent  to  his  superior  offi- 
cer, Cestius  Gallus,  an  artful  representation  of  the 
tumults,  in  which  all  the  blame  was  laid  on  the  un- 
tractable  and  rebellious  spirit  of  the  Jews,  whose  un- 
provoked and  wanton  insults  on  the  Roman  authority 
had  called  for  instant  and  exemplary  justice.  The 
Jews  on  their  part  were  not  remiss.  The  rulers  and 
Berenice  sent  the  most  touching  accounts  of  the 
terrible  rapacity  and  cruelty  of  Florus  and  his 
troops.  Cestius  summoned  a  council ;  in  which  it 
was  resolved  that  he  should  repair  m  person  to 
Jerusalem,  to  examine  into  the  causes  of  the  revolt 
to  punish  the  guilty,  and  confinn  the  Roman  part} 
in  their  allegiance. 

In  the  meantime  he  sent  forward  Neopolitanus,  a 
centurion,  to  prepare  for  his  approach.  At  Jamnia, 
Neopolitanus  met  with  Agrippa,  then  on  his  return 
fiom  Egypt,  and  communicated  to  him  the  object  of 
his  mission.  Before  they  left  Jamnia,  a  deputatio  i 
of  the  priesthood  and  heads  of  the  people,  appeareJ 


168  m=5TORY   OF    THK    JEWS 

to  congratulate  Agrippa  on  his  return.  Agrippa  art- 
fully dissembled  his  compassion,  ;ind  even  affected 
to  reprove  the  turbulent  conduct  of  his  countrymen. 
About  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Jerusalem,  Neopo- 
litanus  and  Agrippa  were  met  by  a  more  mournful 
procession.  The  people  were  preceded  by  the  wives 
of  those  wlio  had  been  slain ;  who  with  wild  shrieks 
and  outcries,  called  on  Agrippa  for  protection ;  and 
recounted  to  Neopolitanus  all  the  miseries  they  had 
undergone  from  the  cruelty  of  Florus.  On  the  en- 
trance of  the  king  and  the  Roman  into  the  city,  they 
were  led  to  the  ruined  market-place,  and  shown  the 
shops  that  had  been  plundered,  and  the  desolate 
houses  where  the  inhabitants  had  been  massacred. 
Neopolitanus  having  passed  through  the  whole  city 
and  found  it  in  profound  peace,  went  up  to  the  tem- 
ple, paid  his  adorations  there  in  the  court  of  the 
Gentiles,  exhorted  the  people  to  maintain  their  loyal 
demeanour,  and  returned  to  Cestius. 

Agrippa,  on  his  part,  declined  to  countenance  an 
embassy  which  they  proposed  to  send  to  Nero :  he 
assembled  the  whole  multitude  before  the  Xystus, 
and  taking  his  seat  in  a  lofty  part  of  the  palace,  with 
Berenice  by  his  side,  commenced  a  long  harangue. 
He  enlarged  on  the  prospect  of  a  milder  govern- 
ment, than  that  which  had  recently  afflicted  tliem, 
when  the  real  state  of  the  province  should  have 
reached  the  ears  of  the  Emperor.  He  urged  that 
their  hopes  of  independence  were  vain:  if  they 
could  not  resist  part  of  the  Roman  forces  uuder 
Pompey,  how  could  they  expect  to  make  any 
effectual  struggle  vvhen  the  Romans  wielded  the 
power  of  the  whol«  universe ;  he  adduced  the  ex- 
ample of  all  other  nations,  Greeks,  Germans,  Gauls, 
Africans,  Asiatics,  who  were  held  in  submission  by 
a  fe  iv  Roman  troops^ :  finally  he  dwelt  on  the  horrors 
of  war,  and  the  danger  of  destruf^tion  which  they 
would  bring  on  the  city  and  the  holy  place.  He 
eniei)  m  tears,  and  his  sister  wept  aloud.     ThepeO' 


AGRIPPA  LEAVES  JERUSALEM.  189 

p|p  IV  ith  one  voice  cried  out  that  they  had  taken  arms 
not  airainst  the  Romans,but  against  Florus.  As^rippa 
replied  tliat  the  refusal  of  tribute,  and  the  demolition 
of  the  'J-alleries  which  united  the  Antonia  with  the 
temDle,  were  overt  acts  of  war  as^ainst  Rome.  He 
exhorted  them  forthwith  to  discharare  their  tribute, 
and  repair  the  buildin?s.  The  peoptle  obeyed,  the 
kuis^  and  Berenice  joined  eag-erly  in  urg-ina:  forward 
the  reconstruction  of  the  porticoes.  Chief  persons 
were  sent  out  to  collect  the  arrears  of  tribute,  and 
forty  talents  were  speedily  brought  in.  The  war 
seemed  at  an  end ;  and  Agrippa  might  entertain  the 
loftv  satisfaction  of  having  by  his  influence  averted 
inevitable  ruin  from  his  country,  profanation  and 
sacrilege  from  the  temple  of  his  God.  The  corn- 
fields and  vinevards  of  .Tudoea  might  yet  escape  the 
trampling  havoL  of  armed  squa  Irons  ;  the  city  at  its 
festivals  receive  its  gay  and  cheerful  inhabitants : 
the  temple  resound  with  the  uninterrupted  music 
and  psalmody  of  the  whole  united  nation.  Vain 
hope !  the  fire  was  only  smothered,  not  extinct. 
In  an  evil  moment,  Agrippa  attempted  to  persuade 
the  people  to  render  the  usual  allegiance  to  Florus, 
until  the  Emperor  should  send  another  governor  in 
his  place.  At  the  sound  of  that  name,  all  influence 
and  authority  fell,  as  it  were  by  magic,  from  the 
person  of  Agrippa.  The  populace  rose,  began  to 
assail  him  first  with  insulting  language,  afterward 
with  stones;  they  even  ordered  him  to  leave  the 
city.  Despairing,  at  the  same  time,  of  being  of  any 
farther  use,  and  indignant  at  this  treatment,  Agrippa, 
having  sent  some  of  the  leadei-s  to  Florus,  in  order 
that  he  might  nominate  some  of  them  to  collect  the 
tribute,  retreated  to  his  own  kingdom,  and  left  the 
ungrateful  city  to  its  fate. 

Still  the  more  prudent  of  the  higher  orders  enter- 
tained hopes  of  fiuelling  the  tumult,  and  averting 
the  storm.  But  every  day  the  breach  became  more 
inevitable.     There  was  an  important  fortress  called 


190  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

Masada,  which  stood  on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  at  no 
^reat  distance  from  the  Dead  Sea,  near  the  fertile 
spot,  called  the  gardens  of  Engaddi.  It  was  a  place 
of  great  strength,  originally  built  by  Jonathan  the 
Maccabean,  and  fortified  at  great  expense  by  Herod. 
Some  of  the  bolder  and  more  zealous  of  the  war 
party,  contrived  to  obtain  entrance  into  this  post, 
put  the  Roman  garrison  to  the  sword,  and  openly 
unfolded  the  banner  of  revolt.  In  the  city,  a  still 
more  decisive  measure  was  taken.  It  had  been  the 
custom  to  receive  the  gifts  and  sacrifices  of  foreign 
potentates  in  the  temple ;  and  since  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar,  according  to  the  policy  of  Rome,  ofllerings 
had  been  regularly  made,  in  the  name  of  the  em- 
peror, to  the  national  God  of  the  Hebrews.  Eleazar, 
the  son  of  Ananias  the  Chief  Priest,  who  then  com- 
manded the  guard  in  the  temple,  had  the  ambition 
of  becoming  the  head  of  the  war-faction.  He  per- 
suaded the  lower  orders  of  the  officiating  priests  to 
reject  the  imperial  offerings,  and  to  make  a  regula- 
tion that  from  that  time  no  foreigner  should  be 
allowed  to  sacrifice  in  the  temple.  This  was  a 
direct  renunciation  of  allegiance.  The  Roman  party, 
or  rather  that  party  which  was  anxious  to  preserve 
peace,  made  a  strong  but  unavailing  effort.  The 
.«'hief  priests  joined  by  the  heads  of  the  Pharisees, 
I  vho  as  yet  had  maintained  great  influence  over  the 
j/eads  of  the  populace,  met  in  frequent  council. 
They  agreed  to  assemble  thr  people  in  the  quad- 
rangle of  the  temple  which  was  before  the  great 
eastern  gate.  They  addressed  them  in  strong  lan- 
guage, representing  the  honour  and  wealth  that  the 
temple  had  long  obtained  by  the  splendid  donations 
of  foreigners.  That  this  act  amounted  to  an  open 
declaration  of  war;  that  it  was  not  merely  inhos- 
pitable, but  impious,  to  pret'hide  strangers  from 
offering  victims,  and  kneeling  in  worship  before 
God ;  that  they  would  consider  such  a  decree  an 
act  of  inhumanity  against  an  individual ;  how  much 


ELEAZAR.  191 

greater  then  must  it  be,  against  the  emperor  and  the 
whole  Roman  people  :  above  all,  that  they  must  take 
heed  lest,  by  prohibiting  others  to  sacrifice,  they 
bring  upon  themselves  the  same  prohibition;  and 
thus,  having  as  it  were  outlawed  the  rest  of  the 
world,  be  themselves  condemned  to  a  more  fatal 
outlawr)-.  They  then  brought  forward  those  who 
were  thought  best  acquainted  with  the  precedents 
and  customs  of  the  temple  worship.  The  learned 
in  tne  law  unanimously  declared  thai  it  was  the 
ancient  and  immemorial  usage  to  receive  the  offer- 
ings of  strangers.  The  violent  party  paid  not  the 
least  attention  to  argument  or  remonstrance ;  the 
lower  order  of  priests  opeidy  refused  to  officiate. 
The  pacific  party  made  one  effort  more.  They  sent 
one  deputation,  headed  by  Simon  son  of  Ananias, 
to  Florus ;  another  to  Agrippa,  headed  by  his  rela- 
tives, Saul,  Antipas,  and  Costobar,  entreating  them 
to  march  instantly  on  Jerusalem,  or  all  would  be 
lost.  These  were  glad  tidings  to  Florus,  who  saw, 
in  quiet  and  ferocious  delight,  the  progress  of  the 
mutiny.  He  did  not  condescend  to  reply.  Agrippa, 
still  anxious  to  preserve  the  city  and  temple,  sent 
immediately  3000  horse  from  Auranitis,  Batanea, 
and  Trachonitis,  commanded  by  Darius,  and  Philip 
the  son  of  Jacimus. 

On  the  arrival  of  these  troops,  the  chiefs  of  the 
people  made  themselves  masters  of  the  upper  city; 
the  insurgents,  under  Eleazar,  who  now  appeared 
openly  as  the  head  of  the  war-faction,  occupied 
Acra  and  the  temple.  The  two  parties  began  to 
assail  each  other  with  missiles  and  slings;  bands 
occasionally  met  and  fought  hand  to  hand;  the 
royal  troops  had  the  advantage  in  discipline,  but  the 
insurgents  hi  courage.  The  temple  was  the  great 
object  of  the  struggle.  For  seven  days  affairs  re- 
mained in  this  State,  neither  party  obtaining  any 
positive  advantage.  The  following  day  was  the 
festival  of  wood-carryiiiiT.  in  which  it  was  the  cus' 


igi2  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

torn  for  every  individual  amonsr  the  Jews  to  contri  - 
bute  a  certain  supply  of  wood  for  the  fire  of  thi? 
altar,  which  was  never  allowed  to  go  out.  Tha 
.  insurgents  refused  to  admit  the  more  disting-uishe.l 
of  the  opposite  party ;  while  they  themselves  n  - 
ceived  a  great  accession  of  strength.  With  the 
tneaner  people,  who  were  permitted  to  enter  the 
temple,  stole  in  a  great  number  of  the  Zealots, 
caJled  the  Assassins.  These  desperadoes  infused 
new  daring  as  well  as  strength.  They  made  a 
vigorous  attack  on  the  upper  city,  the  royal  troo]'S 
gave  way;  the  victorious  insurgents  set  fire  to  tlu 
house  of  Ananias  the  Chief  priest,  to  the  palaces  }( 
Agrippa  and  Berenice,  and  to  the  public  archives,  ni 
which  the  bonds  of  the  debtors  were  registered.  In 
this  proceeding  all  the  debtors  eagerly  took  th(>ir 
side,  and  assisted  in  cancelling  their  debts  by  de- 
stroying  the  records.  This  measure  was  as  polili ; 
as  it  was  daring,  it  annihilated,  at  one  blow,  the  i  n  • 
fluence  of  the  wealthy,  who  being  generally  tb'ir 
creditors,  the  poorer  people,  before  this,  had  been 
entirely  in  their  power.  Some  of  the  priests  a  i  i 
heads  of  the  people  concealed  themselves  in  t'lt? 
sewers ;  others,  for  the  time  more  fortunate,  secuied 
the  upper  towers  of  the  palace,  and  closed  the  gates. 
Among  the  latter  were  Ananias  and  his  brotlcr 
ITezekiah,  and  those  who  were  obnoxious  as  havi  i.f 
l)een  deputed  to  Agrippa.  Flushed  with  their  vir  - 
tory,  the  insurgents  retired  to  rest. 

The  next  day  they  attempted  a  much  more  daniij? 
(Uiterprise.  A  feeble  garison  still  held  the  impor- 
tant fortress,  the  Antonia,  which,  if  better  rnann;?.!, 
might  long  have  resisted  the  attacks  of  undisci- 
plined soldiers.  In  two  days  the  insurgents  carrnd 
this  citadel,  put  the  garrison  to  the  sword,  and 
burnt  the  keep.  They  then  turned  against  the 
palace,  where  the  miserable  remaiiis  of  the  rov  il 
party  had  taken  refuge.  They  divided  themselvea 
mto  four  troops,  and  made  a  simultaneous  attempt 


MANAnEM.  193 

to  sirale  tlie  walls.  The  few  deferiders,  distracted 
by  these  separate  attarks,  dared  not  venture  on  a 
sally,  but  contented  themselves  with  striking  down 
the  assailants  as  they  climbed  singly  up  the  battle- 
ments. Many  of  the  insurgents  fell.  Niglit  and 
day  the  conflict  lasted  ;  the  besiegers  expecting  that 
the  royal  troops  would  speedily  be  reduced  by 
famine — the  besieged  that  their  tumultuary  assail- 
ants would  grow  weary  of  the  attack. 

In  the  mean  time  a  new  leader  arose,  who  had 
hereditary  claims  on  the  ardent  attachment  of  the 
Zealots.  Judas,  the  Galilean,  had  been  the  first 
who  had  openly  declared  the  impiety  of  owing  any 
king  but  God,  and  had  denounced  the  payment  of 
tribute  to  Caesar,  and  all  acknowledgment  of  foreign 
authoritA'.  as  treason  against  the  principles  of  the 
Mosaic  constitution.  These  doctrines,  after  having 
long  fermented  in  secret,  and  only  betrayed  them- 
selves in  local  tumults,  or  temporary  insurrections, 
were  now  espoused,  as  it  were,  by  the  whole  nation. 
Judas  himself,  not  long  after  his  outset  on  his  career, 
and  his  two  ekler  sons,  during  the  government  of 
Tiberius  Alexander,  had  fallen  martyrs  to  their 
opinions.  All  eyes  were  now  turned  on  Manahem, 
a  younger  son,  who  they  hoped  would  maintain  the 
lofty  principles  of  his  father  with  better  success. 
Manahem  suddenly  appeared  in  the  conquered  for- 
tress of  Masada,  piundered  the  armoury  of  Herod, 
and,  girt  with  a  resolute  and  confident  band,  ap- 
proached Jerusalem.  The  gates  flew  open,  and  he 
entered  the  city  as  in  royal  pomp ;  he  was  admitted 
at  once  as  the  captain  of  their  forces,  and  gave 
orders  to  press  the  siege  of  the  palace.  The  palace 
still  bravely  held  out ;  the  assailants  had  no  batter- 
ing engines  ;  and,  when  they  attempted  to  mine  the 
walls,  they  were  beaten  down  by  stones  and  javelins 
from  above.  They  beyan  therefore  a  mine  at  a 
considerable  distance,  and  w'aen  tliey  got  under  one 
of  th^  towers,  they  carried  in  a  great  quantity  of 


194  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

wood  and  set  it  on  fire.     The  flames  caught  the 
timbers  of  the  fouadatioas,  and  the  tower  fell  with 
a  tremendous  crash.     The  insurgents  were  already 
rushing  to  the  assault,  when  tliey  found  themselves 
checked  by  a  second  wall,  which  the  besieged  had 
built  within.     During  this  consternation  of  the  as- 
sailants, the  garrison  sent  to  demand  terms.     The 
insurgents  readily  granted  safe  passage  to  the  troops 
of  Agrippa  and   to  the   Jews,  who  marched  out, 
leaving  the  few  Roman  soldiers  in  the  most  despe- 
rate condition,  without  a  hope  of  cutting  their  way 
through  the  countless  multitudes  of  their  assailants, 
and,  even  if  they  should  submit,  to  the  disgrace  of 
surrendering  on  conditions,  almost  certain  that  the 
conditions  would  not  be  kept.     They  retreated  to 
the  three  strong  towers  which  Herod  had  built,  and 
called  Hippicos,  Phasaelis,  and  Mariamne.     Mana- 
hem  and  his  followers  broke  into  the  palace,  slew 
the  few  who  had  not  made  good  their  retreat,  plun- 
dered the  baggage,  and  set  fire  to  their  encampment. 
The  following  m(u-ning  Ananias  was  discovered, 
with  his  brother  Hezekiah,  in  an  aqueduct  leading 
to  the  palace.     They  were  put  to  death  without 
remorse.     The  towers  were  surrounded,  so  as  to 
prevent  any  chance  of  escape.     M  uiahem  grew  in- 
toxicated with  success  ;  he  already  assumed  all  the 
state  of  a  king,  and  maintained  his  authority  with 
the  most  unsparing  bloodshed.     The  death  of  Ana- 
nias was  an  unpopular  measure — but  probably  this, 
as  well  as  other  sanguinary  acts,  might  have  been 
pardoned;  but  Eleazar  did  not  patiently  endure  that 
the  supreme  authority,  for  which  he  liad  so  subtly 
plotted,  and  so  resolntely  dared,  should   thus    be 
wrested  at  once  from   his  hands.      His  partisans 
began  to  murmur,  that   they  had  only  changed  a 
Roman  tyrant  for  one  home-born;  that  Manahem, 
though  he  had  no  claim  or  title  to  this  superiority, 
had  insolently  gone  up  to  worship  in  the  temple,  in 
royal  attire,  and  surrounded  by  his  guards      The 


SURRENDER  OF  THE  ROMAN  GARRISON.        195 

populace  rose  on  the  side  of  Eleazar,  and  began  to 
stone  the  adherents  of  Manahem.  His  followers 
fled.  Many  were  slain  outrisjht,  many  in  places  of 
concealment.  A  few  with  Eleazar,  tlie  son  of  Jair, 
a  relation  of  Manahem,  made  good  their  retreat  to 
Masada.  Manahem  himself  was  taken,  having  fled 
to  a  part  of  the  city  called  Ophlas  ;  he  was  dragged 
forth,  and  put  to  death  with  great  cruelty.  Many 
of  his  partisans,  one  Absalon  in  particular,  shared 
his  fate.  Thus  fell  Manahem,  who,  if  he  had  united 
discretion  with  his  courage,  might  have  given  the 
insurgents  what  they  felt  the  want  of  during  the 
whole  war — an  acknowledged  leader,  who  might 
have  concentred  the  resources,  and  consolidated 
the  strength  of  the  revolt. 

Many  of  the  populace  had  taken  part  against 
Manahem,  in  hopes  that  by  his  death  the  tumult 
might  be  suppressed ;  but  this  was  not  the  intention 
of  Eleazar  and  his  party.  They  pressed  vigorously 
the  siege  of  the  towers.  At  length  Metilius,  the 
Roman  commander,  found  himself  constrained  to 
demand  terms.  The  garrison  offered  to  surrender 
on  condition  that  their  lives  were  spared;  their 
arms  and  every  thing  else  were  to  be  at  the  mercy 
of  the  conquerors.  The  treaty  was  accepted,  and 
solemnly  ratified.  Gorion,  son  of  Nicomedes — 
Ananias,  son  of  Sadoo — and  Judas,  son  of  Jona- 
than, on  the  part  of  the  insurgents— swore  to  the 
execution  of  the  conditions.  Metilius  led  out  his 
soldiers.  While  they  retained  their  arms,  no  move- 
ment was  made ;  directly  they  had  piled  their  swords 
and  bucklers,  the  followers  of  Eleazar  fell  upon  and 
slew  them,  unresisting,  and  wildly  appealing  to  the 
faith  of  the  treaty.  All  fell,  except  Metilius,  who 
had  the  un-Roman  baseness  (the  word  may  be  ex- 
cused) to  supplicate  for  mercy,  and  even  agreed  to 
submit  to  circumcision.  After  this  treacherous  and 
horrid  deed,  the  last  faint  hope  of  accommodation  was 
quenched,  as  it  were,  in  blood.     The  more  mode 


196  HISTOU^   OF  THE  JEWS 

rate  foresaw  the  inevitable  ruin;  thoy  did  not  con- 
ceal  their  profound  sorrow  ;  the  whole  city,  instead 
of  resounding  with  triumph,  was  silent,  dejected, 
.and  melancholy.  It  was  an  aggravation  of  the 
^general  terror  and  depression,  that  this  a'irocious> 
massacre  was  perjjetrated  on  a  Sabbath  ! 

On  that  very  day  and  hour,  by  a  coincidence 
which  Josephus  considered  providential,  a  dreadful 
retribution  for  the  crimes  of  their  countrymen  was, 
as  it  were,  pre-exacted  from  the  Jews  of  Caesarea. 
The  Greeks,  now  tolerably  certain  that  to  satiate 
their  own  animosity  would  be  to  please  rather  than 
offend  the  Romans,  or  perhaps  under  secret  in- 
structions from  Florus,  suddenly  rose,  and  massa- 
cred the  Jews  almost  to  a  man  : — in  one  hour,  20,000, 
an  incredible  number !  were  said  to  be  killed.  Not 
a  Jew  appeared  in  Cresarea.  The  few  who  fled  were 
seized  by  Florus,  and  sent  to  the  galleys. 

By  this  act  the  whole  nation  was  driven  to  mad- 
ness. Committed  by  the  enormities  of  their  brethren 
in  Jerusalem — thus  apparently  proscribed  every 
where  else  for  slaughter — they  determmed,  if  man- 
kind thus  declared  war  upon  them,  to  wage  unre- 
lentmg  war  upon  mankind.  They  rose,  surprised, 
and  laid  waste  all  around  the  cities  of  Syria,  Phila- 
delphia, Sebonitis,  Gerasa,  Pella,  (where  probably 
as  yet  the  Christians  had  not  taken  refuge,)  and 
Scy'thopolis.  They  made  a  sudden  descent  upon 
Gadara,  Hippo,  and  Gaulonitis  ;  burned  and  destroy- 
ed many  places,  and  advanced  boldly  against  Cedasa, 
a  Tyrian  town,  and  the  important  places  of  Ptolemais 
and  Gaba,  and  even  against  Caesarea  itself.  Sebaste 
and  Ascalon  offered  no  resistance — at  least  to  their 
inroad  on  their  territory ;  Anthedon  and  Gaza  they 
razed  to  the  ground.  The  hamlets  around  these 
cities  were  pillaged,  and  an  immense  slaughter  took 
place. 

The  Syrians  took  the  alarm  ;  and  either  for  secu- 
rity, or  out  of  old  animosity,  committed  dreadful 


M.15SACRE  OF  THE  JEWa  IN  SYRIA.  197 

havoo  on  the  Jewish  iiilialvtants  of  their  towns. 
Every  city  was,  -as  it  were,  divided  into  two  hosiile 
eainps.  The  great  object  was  to  anticipate  the 
work  of  carnage.  The  days  were  passed  ia  mutual 
slaughter,  the  nights  in  nuitual  dread.  All  agreed 
thatlhe  Jews  were  to  be  put  to  the  sword  without 
mercy — but  how  to  treat  the  numerous  proselytes 
to  Judaism  1  Should  they  respect  their  Syrian 
blood,  or  punish  their  conformity  to  the  Jewish 
faith?  Th-  fatal  wealth  of  the  Jews  even  then,  as 
in  after  ages,  was  at  once  their  pride  and  their  ruin. 
Many  were  put  to  deathfromthe  basest  motives  of 
plunder ;  and  lie  who  could  display  the  greatest  heap 
of  Jewish  spoil,  was  considered  a  hero.  The  streets 
were  strewn  with  unburied  bodies — aged  men  and 
infants — women  witli  the  last  covering  of  modesty 
torn  off;  the  whole  province  bewailing  the  present 
calamities,  and  trembling  with  foreboding  apprehen- 
sions of  still  worse. 

So  far  the  Jews  had  confined  their  attacks  to 
foreign  troops  or  settlers;  but  making  an  inroad 
into  the  domain  of  Scythopolis,  they  met  with  un- 
expected resistance  from  the  Jewish  inhabitants, 
who  had  taken  arms  with  those  of  Syrian  race,  and 
united  with  them  in  defence  of  their  common  terri 
tory.  But  the  Scythopolitans  mistrusted  their 
fidelity,  and,  dreading  lest  they  should  make  com- 
mon cause  with  the  assailants  during  the  attack 
desired  them  to  retire  with  their  families  into  at 
adjacent  grove.  Suspecting  no  danger,  the  Jews  ai, 
once  complied,  and  two  days  they  remained  in  quiei, 
encamped  under  the  trees.  The  third  night  the  per- 
fidious Scythopolitans  attacked  them  unawares,  put 
them  all  to  the  sword,  and  seized  all  their  property. 
Thirteen  thousand  perished.  This  barbarous  act 
clearly  proved  to  all  the  Jews,  that  no  course  re- 
mained but  to  make  common  cause  with  their 
revolted  countrymen.  A  particular  incident  which 
occurred  during  this  massacre  was  well  suited  to 


198  HTSTOnv  OF  THF.  JEWS. 

spread  from  mouth  to  mouth,  as  a  tale  which  might 
excite  the  reveng-eful  spirit  of  the  most  lukewarm, 
and  drive  the  most  cautious  to  iusurrection,  as  his 
last  hope.  There  was  a  certain  Simon,  the  son  ot 
Saul,  a  Jew  of  distinction  in  Scythopolis,  \v)io, 
during  the  Jewish  attack  upon  the  city,  had  fought 
against  his  countrymen  with  the  most  Consummate 
bravery.  He  had  slain  many,  and  broken  squad- 
rons by  his  single  strength.  On  that  fatal  night, 
when  the  Scythopolitans  surrounded  their  Jewish 
brethren,  he  saw  that  all  resistance  to  such  num- 
bers was  vain.  He  cried  aloud — "  Men  of  Scytho- 
polis, I  acknowledge  the  justice  of  the  penalty  I  am 
about  to  pay  for  having  wielded  arms  against  my 
countrymen,  and  put  my  trust  in  you.  Tlie  blood 
of  my  own  brethren  calls  for  vengeance.  It  shall 
be  satisfied ;  but  no  enemy,  like  you,  shall  boast  of 
my  death,  or  insult  my  fall,"  He  then  with  wild 
and  glaring  eyes  looked  round  on  his  family.  He 
had  a  wife,  children,  and  aged  parents.  He  first 
seized  his  father  by  the  hoary  hair,  and  pierced  him 
with  his  sword;  his  mother  next  willingly  bared 
her  bosom  to  the  blow.  Then  fell  his  wife  and 
children,  who  crowded  round  him,  eager  to  die  by 
his  hand  rather  than  by  that  of  the  enemy.  Last 
of  all,  he  mounted  upon  their  bodies,  so  as  to  make 
himself  as  conspicuous  as  possible,  and  drove  his 
sword  into  his  entrails. 

The  rest  of  the  Grecian  cities  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  Scythopolis.  In  Ascalon  2500  were  put 
to  the  sword,  in  Ptolemais  2000,  and  as  many  thrown 
into  prison.  In  Tyre  many  were  killed ;  in  Hippo 
and  Gadara  they  put  to  death  the  most  dangerous, 
and  tlirew  the  rest  whom  they  suspected  into  prison. 
Of  the  Syrian  cities,  Antioch,  Sidon,  and  Apamea, 
alone  showed  real  humanity,  and  forbade  the  death, 
or  even  the  imprisonment,  of  their  Jewish  fellow- 
citizens.  In  these  towns,  indeed,  the  Jews  were 
less  numerous,  and  therefore  less  formidable ;  ret 


COMMOTIO^'S  IN  ALL  QUARTERS.  1  39 

the  exception  is  not  the  less  honourable  to  the  in- 
habitants. Tlie  citizens  of  Geraza  not  merely  ab- 
stained from  injuring  those  wiio  remained  in  their 
fitv,  but  escorted  those  who  chose  to  leave  it,  into 
the  mountains.  The  dominions  of  Agrippa  were  not 
without  disturbance.  Agrippa  himself  had  g-one  to 
Antioch  to  Cestius  Gallus,  and  left  the  administra- 
tion of  his  kingdom  to  Varus,  a  relation  of  Soemus, 
the  Tetrarch  of  the  district  about  Lebanon.  It 
happened  that  Philip,  the  son  of  Jacimus,  the  com- 
mander of  Agrippa's  troops  in  Jerusalem,  had 
escaped  the  massacre  committed  by  the  partisans 
of  Manahem.  He  was  concealed  for  four  days  by 
some  relatives,  Babylonian  Jews,  then  at  Jerusa- 
lem. On  the  fifth,  by  putting  on  false  hair,  he 
escaped,  and  arrived  at  length  at  a  village  of  his 
own  near  the  fortress  of  Gamala.  There,  while  he 
was  thinking  of  summoning  his  friends,  he  was 
seized  with  a  fever,  and,  as  he  lay  ill,  he  sent  letters 
to  the  children  of  Agrippa  and  to  Berenice,  an- 
nouncing his  escape.  Varus  was  jealous  of  the 
influence  of  Pliilip  with  Agrippa.  He  accused  the 
bearer  of  forgery,  and  declared  that  Philip  had 
certainly  perished  at  Jerusalem.  A  second  mes- 
senger arrived,  and  him  also  Varus  made  away 
with;  for  a  report  had  reached  him  from  Cassarea, 
that  Agrippa  had  been  put  to  death  by  the  Romans, 
on  account  of  the  revolt  of  his  countrymen,  and  he 
began  to  entertain  hopes,  being  of  royal  blood,  that 
he  might  secure  to  himself  the  vacant  kingdom. 
He  intercepted,  therefore,  all  communication  from 
Philip,  and,  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  Caesa- 
reaiis,  he  put  to  death  many  Jews.  He  then  deter- 
mined to  make  an  attack  on  Ecbatana,  or  Bathuri 
— a  town  probably  in  Batanea.  With  this  view  he 
sent  twelve  Jews  of  Csesarea  to  accuse  them  of 
meditating  an  insurrection  against  Agrippa,  and  to 
lemand  seventy  of  the  chief  citizens  to  answer  the 
barge.    The  Cassarean  Jews  found  the  town  per 


200  HISTOKY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

fectly  quiet,  and  the  seventy  citizens  were  sent  with 
tlie  utmost  readiness.  Varus,  without  trial,  ordered 
them  all  to  be  put  to  death,  and  advanced  upon  the 
town.  One,  however,  had  escaped,  and  gave  the 
alarm.  The  inhabitants  immediately  seized  their 
arms,  leaving  their  great  possessions  in  flocks  and 
herds,  and  fled  to  the  fortress  of  Gamala.  Thence 
they  sent  to  Philip,  entreating  him  to  come  to  their 
assistance.  On  his  arrival,  there  was  a  general  out- 
cry that  he  should  put  himself  at  their  head,  and 
instantly  lead  them  to  battle  against  Varus  and  the 
Greeks  of  Caesarea.  The  more  prudent  Philip 
restrained  their  impetuosity,  and  by  his  influence 
preserved  the  peace  of  Gamala,  and  kept  the  whole 
district  faithful  to  the  Romans  till  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war.  Agrippa  sent  to  supersede 
Varus ;  his  great  connexions  rendered  it  dangerous 
to  inflict  a  more  severe  punishment. 

The  Alexandrian  Jews  were  not  exempt  from  the 
general  calamities  of  the  nation ;  but  they  are  less 
worthy  of  compassion,  as  they  seem  in  a  great  de- 
gree, by  their  own  tui-bulence  and  rashness,  to  have 
brought  the  persecution  upon  their  own  heads.  At 
a  public  assembly  of  the  Alexandrians,  to  despatch 
an  embassy  to  Nero,  many  of  the  Jews,  whether  to 
maintain  a  contested  right  or  not,  thronged  into  the 
amphitheatre  with  the  Greeks.  An  outcry  imme- 
diately arose  against  the  intruders,  as  enemies  and 
spies.  They  were  attacked ;  some  were  killed  in 
their  flight:  others  were  taken,  and  dragged  along 
as  if  to  be  burnt  alive.  The  whole  Jewish  popula- 
tion rose,  and  at  first  assailed  the  Greeks  with  stones. 
They  then  surrounded  the  amphitheatre  with  lighted 
torches,  and  threatened  to  burn  the  whole  assembly 
to  a  man.  They  would  have  executed  their  purpose, 
but  for  the  immediate  intervention  of  Tiberius  Alex- 
ander, the  governor — the  same  who  had  before 
governed  in  Judaja,  and  was  by  birth  a  Jew — the 
nephew  of  Philo.     Alexander  acted  with  h'lmane 


TtMULTS  IN  ALEXANDRIA.  201 

consideration;  he  sent  for  the  more  influential  of 
the  Jews,  ordered  them  to  put  an  end  to  the  affray, 
and  warned  them  against  bringing  the  Roman  sol- 
diery upon  their  heads.  The  more  seditious  mocked 
at  his  admonitions,  and  heaped  personal  abuse  upon 
his  name. 

Alexander  immediately  ordered  his  troops  out; 
besides  liis  two  legions  he  had  5000  soldiers,  recently 
come  from  Libya.  He  gave  them  leave  not  merely 
to  kill,  but  also  to  pillage  and  burn  houses.  The 
troops  immediately  forced  the  Delta,  the  quarter  in 
which  the  Jews  lived.  The  Jews  made  resistance ; 
but  once  routed,  the  slaughter  was  horrible.  The 
houses  were  stripped,  or  set  on  fire  full  of  inhabit- 
ants, who  had  taken  refuge  in  them ;  neither  age 
nor  sex  was  spared :  the  whole  place  was  like  a  pool 
of  blood :  50,000  bodies  were  heaped  up  for  burial. 
The  few  who  remained  sued  for  mercy.  Alexander 
gave  the  signal  for  the  cessation  of  the  carnage; 
and  such  was  the  influence  of  the  commander,  and 
the  discipline  of  the  troops,  that  he  was  instantly 
obeyed  by  the  soldiery.  The  more  vindictive  ani- 
mosity of  the  Alexandrian  po{)ulace  was  not  so 
easily  arrested;  they  could  only  be  dragged  by 
force  from  the  dead  bodies. 

In  Palestine  one  thing  only  was  wanting  to  plunge 
the  whole  nation  headlong  into  the  revolt.  They 
had  already  to  stimulate  them,  on  one  hand,  the 
remembrance  of  the  galling  oppression  of  their  suc- 
cessive governors — the  desperate  conviction  that 
tlipy  were  already  committed  by  the  events  in  Jeru- 
salem—the horrible  proofs  that  in  every  city  every 
man's  hand  was  armed  against  them,  and  every 
heart  steeled  against  their  sufferings :  on  the  other, 
tlie  bold  md  lofty  tenets  of  Judas  the  Galilean,  in 
whose  sense  their  older  sacred  scriptures  might  be 
made  to  speak  Mathout  much  violence  of  interpreta- 
tion—the universal  belief  in  the  immediate  coming 
3f  the  triumphant  Messiah,  which  was  so  widely 

11.— Q 


202  HISTORY    OF   THE   JEWS. 

diffused  as  to  be  mentioned  by  Suetonius  and  by 
Tacitus  as  a  great  cause  of  the  war, — all  these  mo- 
tives could  not  but  operate  in  a  most  powerful  man- 
ner. That  which  was  wanting,  was  a  bright  gleam 
of  success,  to  break  the  gloom  that  lowered  all  round 
the  horizon,  and  animate  the  timid  and  desponding 
with  the  hope  of  possible  victory.  This  was  given 
by  the  imbecility  of  Cestius  Gallus,  the  prefect  of 
Syria.  Cestius  had  under  his  command  the  12th 
legion,  complete  in  its  numbers,  about  4200  strong : 
besides  these  he  had  2000  picked  men  ;  six  cohorts 
of  foot,  about  2500;  and  four  troops  of  horse,  about 
1200.  Of  allies,  he  had  from  Antiochus  2000  horse, 
and  3000  foot,  all  archers;  from  Agrippa  as  many 
horse,  but  less  than  2000  foot ;  Sohemus  followed 
with  4000  more,  a  third  of  which  were  horse,  the 
rest  archers.  With  this  army,  of  nearly  10,000 
Roman  troops,  and  1.3,000  allies,  Cestius  advanced 
to  Ptolemais.  Many  volunteers  crowded  forth  from 
the  Syrian  cities ;  and  Agrippa  and  Sohemus  attended 
on  his  march.  His  first  exploit  was  against  the  town 
of  Zebulon,  called  Andron,  which  divided  the  terri- 
tory of  Ptolemais  from  the  Jewish  province  of  Upper 
Galilee.  The  inhabitants  fled  to  the  mountains. 
The  city,  in  which  was  abundance  of  wealth  and 
provision,  was  pillaged  by  the  soldiers ;  and  its 
noble  buildings,  said  to  be  as  handsome  as  those  of 
Tyre,  Sidon,  or  Berytus,  were  burned  to  the  ground. 
After  having  wasted  the  adjacent  district,  Cestius 
returned  to  Ptolemais.  The  Syrians,  particularly 
those  of  Berytus,  Imgering  behind  to  plunder,  the 
.Tews  rose  upon  them,  and  cut  off  about  2000. 

Cestius  advanced  to  Caesarea:  from  thence  he 
sent  forward  part  of  his  army  to  Joppa,  with  orders, 
if  they  could  take  the  city,  to  garrison  it ;  if  the 
inhabitants  were  prepared  for  resistance,  to  awaii 
the  arrival  of  tlie  rest  of  the  army.  Part  marcned 
inland,  part  by  the  sea  coast.  They  found  the  city 
open  ;  the  inhabitants  neither  attempted  to  fly  nor 


THE    JEWS    ATTACK  CEST1T7S.  203 

to  resist.  They  put  them  all  to  the  sword,  and  pil- 
laged  the  town.  The  mimber  slain  was  8500. 
With  the  same  savage  cruelty  the  cavalry  wasted 
Narbatene,  a  district  near  Caesarea;  killing,  and 
plundering,  and  burnino-,  on  all  sides. 

Cestius  sent  G alius,  the  commander  of  the  twelfth 
legion,  into  Galilee,  with  sufficient  force  to  subju- 
gate that  province.  Sepphoris  opened  its  gates : 
the  other  cities  followed  tlie  example  of  the  capital. 
The  insurgents  fled  to  a  mountain  opposite  to  Sep- 
phoris, called  Asamon.  There,  favoured  by  the 
ground,  they  at  first  made  a  gallant  resistance,  and 
killed  200  of  Gallus's  men ;  at  length  the  Romans 
gaining  the  upper  ground,  and  surrounding  them 
they  were  broken  and  dispersed:  2000  were  slain. 
Gallus  having  subdued  the  province,  returned  to 
Caesaria. 

Cestius  advanced  to  Antipatris,  dispersed  a  small 
band  at  the  tower  of  Apheck,  and  burned  their  camp. 
From  Antipatris  he  marched  to  Lydda,  which  was 
deserted,  the  inhabitants  having  gone  up  to  Jeru- 
Balem  for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Fifty  men, 
wno  came  forth  to  meet  him,  were  put  to  death  ;  the 
city  burned.  He  then  ascended  the  hills  near  Beth- 
horon,  and  encamped  at  Gabao,  fifty  stadia,  rather 
more  than  six  miles,  from  Jerusalem.  No  sooner 
did  the  Jews  hear  that  the  war  was  approachmg 
their  gates,  than  they  flew  to  arms;  they  broke  off 
the  festival ;  they  paid  no  more  respect  to  the  Sab- 
bath. It  is  possible,  they  called  to  mind  that  it  was 
near  this  very  place,  in  the  passes  aliout  Beth- 
horon,  that,  in  the  days  of  old,  the  Lord  cast  down 
great  stones  on  the  Canaanitcs,  when,  as  their  histo- 
ries declared,  the  sun  stayed  his  course  at  the  com- 
mand of  Joshua.  In  the  same  mountain  country, 
Judas,  the  Maccabean,  had  discomfited  the  immense 
army  of  Nicanor.  Now  they  poured  forth  by  thou- 
sands ;  they  fell  upon  the  Roman  van  ;  broke  it ;  and 
rushing  in,  began  so  great  a  slaughter,  that  if  the 


204  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

horse  and  some  light  troops  had  not  made  a  circuit, 
aiir]  charged  them  in  tlie  rear,  the  whole  army  of 
Ctjslius  might  have  buen  destroyed.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  advantage,  they  retreated;  having  killed 
515,  of  whicli  400  were  horse.  Their  own  loss  was 
but  twenty-two.  Their  most  distinguished  men  in 
the  battle  were  strangers;  Monobazus  and  Oene- 
dieus,  relations  of  the  King  of  Adiabene;  Niger,  ol 
Peraea;  and  Silas,  a  Babylonian,  who  had  qinticd 
the  service  of  Agrippa.  The  .lews  made  good  tlieir 
retreat ;  and  as  the  Romans  ascended  the  hill  of 
Bcthhoron,  Simon,  son  of  Gioras,  a  man  who  will 
afterward  make  an  eminent  figure  in  the  historv, 
hung  on  their  rear,  and  cut  off  their  stragglers,  ;i:.i 
beasts  of  burthen,  many  of  which  he  carried  sale  to 
the  city.  Cestins  remained  quiet  for  three  days, 
the  .lews  keeping  v/atch  on  the  hills,  waiting  for  his 
troops  to  move.  At  this  juncture  Agrippa  deter- 
mined to  make  a  last  effort  to  avert  the  war.  He 
sent  a  deputation  to  persuade  his  ( onntrymen  to  sur- 
render, offering,  in  the  name  of  Cestins,  an  amnesty 
for  all  that  had  passed.  The  leading  insurgents 
dreaded  tlie  effect  of  these  proposals  on  the  people. 
They  suddenly  attacked  tlie  deputation;  slew  one, 
named  Phoebus,  wounded  the  other,  Borcaeus,  with 
sticks  and  stones ;  and  drove  back  those  who  ap- 
peared to  take  any  interest  in  their  fate.  Cestius 
seized  the  opportunity  of  this  dissension  to  advance 
on  .lerusalem :  he  encamped  at  Scopas,  within  seven 
stadia,  not  quite  a  mile,  to  the  north  of  the  walls. 
Tiiree  days  he  suspended  his  attack,  in  hopes  of 
receiving  an  offer  of  surrender :  in  the  meantime  his 
horse  scoured  the  villages  around  for  provision  and 
forage :  on  the  fourth  the  Romans  advanced  to  the 
attack.  The  insurgents  had  not  oidy  to  repel  the 
enemy,  but  to  watch  a  formidable  party  wiihin  the 
walls,  whom  they  suspected  of  being  but  mkewarm 
Ml  the  cause.  They  were  struck  with  consterna- 
tio.;  at  the  order  and  discipline  of  the  Roman  army. 


NOV    5.]      CESTirS   ATTACKS  THE   rF.MPLE 


205 


as  it  came  slowlv  on  to  the  attack.  They  aban- 
doned the  outer  walls  ;  and  fled  into  the  temple  and 
the  other  fortified  places  within  the  city.  Cestius 
f)assed  thronoh  the  new  s'.ihurb  of  Bezetha,  and 
burned  it  as  he  proceeded :  he  then  advanced  against 
the  upper  city,  and  encamped  opposite  to  the  palace. 
Had  he  then  nished  at  once  to  the  assault,  the  city 
would  have  fallen.  But,  as  Josephus  asserts,  with 
no  ^eat  probability,  the  general,  Tyrannius  Priscus, 
r.nd^several  of  the  commanders  of  cavalry,  bribed 
by  Florus  to  prolong  the  war,  dissuaded  him  from 
the  attack. 

It  is  more  probable  that  he  entertained  hopes  of 
the  surrender  of  the  city  by  means  of  a  powerful 
party  within  the  walls ;  for  many  of  the  chief  per- 
sons, at  the  persuasion  of  Ananus,  the  son  of  .lona 
than,  invited  Cestius  to  continue  the  attack,  and  pro- 
mised to  open  the  gates.  But  the  irresolute  Cestius, 
either  from  anger  or  mistrust,  delayed  and  lost  time. 
The  conspiracy  was  detected  by  the  insurgents; 
Ananus  and  his  followers  were  thrown  headlong 
from  the  walls;  the  rest  were  assailed  with  stones, 
and  driven  to  their  houses.  The  war  faction  manned 
all  the  towers,  and  beat  down  w^th  missiles  all  who 
approached  the  walls.  For  five  days  the  Romans 
made  only  uncombined  and  desultory  attacks :  on 
the  following,  Cestius,  with  the  flower  of  his  army 
and  his  archers,  made  a  vigorous  assault  on  the 
north  side  of  the  temple.  The  Jews  defended  them- 
selves from  the  cloisters  witk  the  most  resolute 
valour;  continually  repulsed  the  enemy;  till  at 
length,  galled  by  the  showers  of  missiles,  the 
Romans  recoiled.  But  they  retreated  to  make  a 
more  dangerous  attack.  They  formed  what  was 
called  a  testudo :  those  in  the  van  fixed  their  shields 
firmly  against  the  wall ;  the  next  rank  did  the  same ; 
till  the  shields,  fitting  over  each  other  like  the  shell 
of  a  tortoise,  formed  an  iron  penthouse  over  their 


206  HISTORY    Oil    THE    JEWS.        [nOV.  6,  V 

heads,  under  which  the  soldiers  began  to  mine  the 
walls,  and  attempted  to  set  fire  to  the  gates. 

The  besieged  were  in  the  most  dreadful  conster- 
nation ;  many  endeavoured  secretly  to  make  their 
escape  from  the  devoted  city.  The  peaceful  party 
took  courage,  and  began  to  muster  in  considerable 
force,  in  order  to  open  the  gates,  and  admit  Cestius 
as  their  deliverer.  A  short  time,  an  hour  or  less, 
might  have  made  the  Romans  masters  of  the  city: 
"  but  God,  I  conceive,"  says  the  Jewish  historian, 
"  on  account  of  our  sins,  abhorring  his  own  sanc- 
tuary, would  not  permit  the  war  to  end  thus." 

Cestius,  ignorant  of  the  state  of  affairs  within  the 
town,  both  of  the  despondency  of  the  insurgents  and 
the  strength  of  the  Roman  party,  suddenly  called 
off  his  troops ;  and,  to  the  universal  surprise,  re- 
treated entirely  from  the  city.  The  insurgents 
passed  at  once  from  the  lowest  depression  to  the 
wildest  courage  :  they  sallied  from  all  quarters,  and 
cut  off  many  stragglers,  both  horse  and  foot.  Ces- 
tius passed  the  night  in  his  former  encampment,  at 
Scopos  (the  watch-tower).  On  the  following  day 
he  continued  to  retire.  The  further  he  retreated, 
the  more  bold  became  the  enemy  :  they  harassed  his 
rear;  coming  along  cross  roads, they  took  his  files 
in  flank.  The  Romans  dared  not  turn  to  make 
head ;  for  they  thought  that  countless  multitudes 
were  pouring  behind  them  ;  and  while  the  heavily- 
accoutred  legionaries  continued  their  slow  and  sul- 
len march,  the  light-armed  Jews  flew  about  with  the 
utmost  rapidity ;  assaulting,  retreating  ;  now  on  one 
side,  now  on  the  other ;  dashing  down  where  they 
saw  an  opening,  and  starting  off  when  they  met  re- 
sistance. The  road  was  strewn  with  the  dead; 
every  one  who,  for  an  instant,  quitted  the  ranks, 
was  cut  off.  Nor  did  the  loss  fall  only  on  the  com- 
mon soldiers.  Priscus,  the  captain  of  the  sixth  le- 
gion; Longinus,  a  tribune,  and  jEmilius,  a  prefect 
of  horse,  were  slain ;  till  at  length,  with  great  losi 


RKTREAT  OF  CESTirS.  20t 

c*  men,  and  still  more  of  baggage  and  mimitions, 
the  army  readied  its  former  quarters  at  Gabao. 
There,  with  his  usual  irresolution,  Cestius  lost  two 
days  in  inactivity:  the  third  day,  when  he  saw  the 
whole  country  in  arms,  and  the  Jews  swarming  on 
all  the  heights,  he  determined  on  retreat. 

That  he  might  retire  with  greater  expedition,  he 
commanded  the  soldiers  to  throw  away  every  thing 
that  might  impede  their  march.  All  the  mules  and 
beasts  of  burthen  were  killed,  except  those  which 
bore  arrows  and  the  military  engines ;  the  latter,  he 
apprehended,  might  be  of  future  use,  and  dreaded 
lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  Romans  then  entered  the  fatal  pass  down  to 
Bethhoron.  The  Jews,  who  had  preserved  some 
respect  for  their  close  and  serried  ranks  while  they 
were  in  the  open  plain,  no  sooner  saw  them  entan- 
gled in  the  defile,  than  they  attacked  them  on  all 
sides  :  some  hastened  to  block  up  the  outlet  of  the 
pass  ;  some  from  behind  drove  them  headlong  down 
the  ravine:  at  the  end  of  the  defile,  incalculable 
multitudes  showered  darts  upon  them,  till  the  whole 
squadron  seemed  clouded  over  with  missiles.  The 
legionaries  stood  wavering,  uncertain  how  to  act. 
The  cavalry  were  in  a  still  more  perilous  condition : 
they  could  not  form  in  ranks ;  the  steep  sheer  sides 
of  the  mountains  were  impracticable  for  their  horses. 
At  one  moment  they  found  themselves  on  the  verge 
of  frightful  precipices,  hanging  over  rugged,  and,  it 
seemed,  bottomless  ravines.  Flight  and  resistance 
wore  alike  hopeless  :  they  began  to  utter  wild  cries 
of  despair,  and  to  groan  aloud  in  the  agony  of  their 
hearts  :  the  shrill  battle-cry  of  the  Jews  answered ; 
their  savage  shouts  of  exultation  and  fury  rang  from 
rock  to  rock.  The  whole  Roman  army  must  have 
fallen,  had  not  night  come  on,  which  enabled  the 
greater  part  to  make  its  way  to  Bethhoron ;  while 
the  Jews  crowned  every  hiU«  p'»H  blocked  uj>  every 
oass  around. 


St>8  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS,  [NoV.  8. 

Cestius,  despairing  of  being  able  openly  to  force 
his  way,  began  to  think  of  securing  his  personal 
safety  by  flight.  He  selected  four  hundred  of  his 
bravest  men,  distributed  them  about  the  defences  of 
the  camp,  with  orders  to  mount  guard ;  and  in  the 
_  inoniing  to  display  all  their  ensigns,  that  the  Jews 
niiglit  suppose  the  whole  army  was  still  stationary. 
He  then  retreated  in  silence  thirty  stadia,  not  quite 
four  miles.  At  the  break  of  day,  the  Jews  disco- 
vered that  the  camp  was  deserted :  enraged  at  the 
manoeuvre,  they  rushed  to  the  assault,  and  slew  the 
four  hundred  to  a  man.  They  then  pursued  Cestius 
with  the  utmost  rapidity.  The  Romans,  who  had 
got  the  start  of  several  hours  during  the  night,  has- 
tened their  retreat,  which  bore  every  appearance  of 
a  rout.  All  the  military  engines,  the  catapults,  bat- 
tering-rams used  in  besieging  cities,  were  aban- 
doned, and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews;  who 
afterward  employed  them  with  dreadful  effect  against 
their  former  masters.  The  conquerors  continued 
the  pursuit  as  far  as  Antipatris ;  and  at  length  find- 
ing that  they  could  not  overtake  them,  they  turned 
back  to  secure  the  engines,  strip  the  dead,  and  col- 
lect their  immense  booty.  With  hymns  of  victory 
they  re-entered  the  capital ;  having  suffered  hardly 
any  loss  on  their  own  part,  and  having  slain  of  the 
Romans  and  their  allies  5300  foot,  and  380  horse. 
The  Roman  arms  had  not  received  so  disgraceful  an 
affront,  nor  suffered  so  great  loss,  since  the  defeat 
of  Varus  in  the  forests  of  Germany;  and  this  not 
by  a  fierce  and  unconquered  people,  among  woods 
and  morasses  never  before  penetrated  by  civilized 
man ;  but  in  a  province  which  had  long  patiently 
endured  the  Roman  yoke,  and  had  received  for  its 
sovereigns  either  native  kings  or  foreign  prefects 
with  the  humblest  submission  to  the  imperial  will 


I.  209  ) 


BOOK  xrv. 

PREPARATIONS  KOR  THE  WAR 

yi$piisian-  Josepkus — Jlffuirs  »/  Galihe — John  of  Oischala  -.^ffairk 
of  hrufalem — Jinnnus  the  Chief  Priest — Simon,  .■ion  of  Gioras — 
Battles  near  Ascaluu. 

JuD.cA  was  now  in  open  rebellion  against  Rome. 
Jt  -was  a  mad  and  desperate  revolt,  for  to  declare 
war  ag-ainst  Rome,  was  to  defy  the  whole  force  of 
the  civilized  world.  The  insurgents  neither  had, 
nor  could  hope  for  allies ;  the  rest  of  the  Roman 
provinces  were  in  profound  peace,  and  little  likely 
to  ansM'er  the  call  or  follow  the  example  of  a  people 
they  despised,  in  assertion  of  their  independence. 
In  Europe  the  only  unsubdued  enemies  of  the  Ro- 
mans were  the  wild  tribes  in  the  north  of  Britain,  or 
in  the  marshes  of  Germany.  In  Asia,  the  only  inde- 
pendent kingdom,  the  Parthian,  was  not  a  state  to 
make  a  war  of  aggression.  Philo,  in  his  oratorical 
invective  against  Caligula,  threw  out  hints  of  the 
formidable  numbers  of  his  countrj'men  in  Babylonia, 
and  of  the  multitudes  who  were  scattered  throui^h- 
out  almost  all  the  cities  in  the  eastern  dominions  of 
Rome.  But  the  foreign  Jews,  though,  as  Josephus 
hints  in  one  place,  solicited  by  ambassadors,  either 
took  no  interest  in  the  fate  of  their  countiymen,  or 
were  too  sadly  occupied  in  averting  the  storm  of 
public  detestation  from  their  own  heads,  or  in  be- 
wailing its  consequences,  in  the  unprovoked  carnage 
of  their  own   friends  and  families.*     They  were 

*  Immedialely  on  the  defeat  nf  Cestiiis,  the  inhabitniits  of  Daiiias- 
cus  haiitpned  lo  wreak  their  venKi-aiice  on  the  Jewish  residents.  The> 
were  obUged  to  proceed  wiih  ranilon,  I'nr  fear  of  their  wive?,  whc 

IT— R 


210  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

trembling-  in  the  agony  of  personal  apprehension,  oi 
gnthpring-  up  for  Inirial  the  bodies  of  their  murdered 
countrymen. 

The  state  of  the  country-  offered  scarcely  bettei 
grounds  for  any  reasonable  hope  of  permanent  re- 
sistance. The  fortified  places  were  not  all  in  the 
power  of  the  insurgents :  they  had  no  organized  or 
disciplined  force  ;  no  warlike  engines,  except  those 
captured  from  the  enemy;  no  provisions  of  any 
kind  for  a  long  war.  Worse  than  all,  they  were 
divided  among  themselves.  In  every  city  there  was 
an  interested,  or  a  timid,  or  a  prudent  party,  anxious 
to  purchase  peace  at  any  cost.  They  had  no  ac- 
knowledged leader.  The  representative  of  the  He- 
rodian  house,  Agrippa,  openly  espoused  the  Roman 
party.  The  rest  were  either  undistinguished  as  sol- 
diers, or  strangers,  and  robber  chieftains.  Their 
oidy  trust  was  in  their  own  stubborn  patience  and 
daring  valour,  in  the  stern  fanaticism  with  which 
they  looked  upon  themselves  as  the  soldiers  of  their 
God,  and  in  the  wild  hope  that  heaven  would  work 
some  miraculous  revolution  in  their  favour. 

Yet,  however  frantic  and  desperate  the  insurrec- 
tion, why  should  the  Jews  alone  be  excluded  from 
that  generous  sympathy,  which  is  always  awakened 
by  the  history  o"f  a  people,  throwing  off  the  galling 
yoke  of  oppression,  and  manfully  resisting  to  the 
utmost  in  assertion  of  their  freedom  ■?  Surely  if  ever 
people  were  justified  in  risking  the  peace  of  their 
country  for  liberty,  the  grinding  tyranny  of  the  suc- 
cessive Roman  Procurators,  and  the  deliberate  and 
systematic  cruelties  of  Florus,  were  enough  to  have 
maddened  a  less  high-spirited  and  intractable  race 
into  revolt.  It  is  true  that  the  war  was  carried  en 
with  unexampled  atrocity ;  but  on  the  other  hand, 
insurrectionary  warfare  is  not  the  best  school  for 

tcere  almost  nil  attaihrd  to  the  Jiwisk  religion  I  At  last  they  contrived 
to  take  thi'iii  at  aflvaiiiace,  iu  some  confined  space,  and,  attacking  then* 
unarined,  massacied  ]0.000 


COXSlDERATIO>S  ON  THE  WAR.  211 

<he  humaner  virtues ;  and  horrible  oppression  is  apt 
to  awaken  the  fiercer  and  more  savage,  not  th« 
loftier  and  nobler  passions  of  our  nature.  And,  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  we  have  the  history  of 
the  war,  only  on  the  authority  of  some  brief  passages 
in  the  Roman  authors,  and  the  narrative  of  one  to 
whom,  notwithstanding  our  respect  for  his  abihties 
and  virtues,  it  is  impossible  not  to  assign  the  appel- 
lation of  renegade.  Josephus,  writing  to  conciliate 
the  Romans  both  to  his  own  person  and  to  the  mise- 
rable remnant  of  his  people,  must  be  received  with 
some  mistrust.  He  uniformly  calls  the  more  ob- 
stinate insurgents,  who  continued  desperately  faith- 
ful to  that  cause  w^hich  he  deserted,  by  the  odious 
name  of  robbers ;  but  it  may  be  remembered  that 
the  Spanish  guerillas,  who  were  called  patriots  in 
London,  were  brigands  in  Paris.  It  is  true  that  the 
resistance  of  many  was  the  result  of  the  wildest 
fanaticism.  But  we  must  not  forget  in  what  reli- 
gious and  historical  recollections  the  Jews  had  been 
nurtured.  To  say  nothing  of  the  earlier  and  mira- 
culous period  of  their  history,  what  precedents  of 
hope  were  offered  by  the  more  recent  legends  of  the 
daring  and  triumphant  Maccabees.  It  is,  moreover, 
true  that  the  Son  of  Man  had  prophesied  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  and  that  the  New  Testament  ap- 
pears to  intimate  that  the  measure  of  wickedness  in 
the  Jewish  people,  having  been  filled  up  in  the  rejec- 
tion of  Christ,  they  were  doomed  from  that  time  to 
inevitable  ruin.  But  we  must  avoid  the  periloua 
notion  of  confounding  the  Divine  foreknowledge 
with  the  necessary  causation  of  events.  According 
to  the  first  principles  of  the  Mosaic  constitution, 
national  guilt  led  to  national  ruin.  But  still  tlie 
motives  which  actuated  many  in  that  fatal  struggle, 
which  led  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  Divine  pre- 
dictions, may  have  been  noble  and  generous.  It 
was  the  national  rejection  of  Christ,  not  the  resist- 
ance to   Rome,  which   was   culpable.     The  Jew, 


212  HISTORY  OF  THE  JE'WS. 

though  guilty  of  refusing  to  be  a  Christian,  might 
still  be  a  high-minded  and  self-devoted  patriot 
Although  we  lament  that  the  gentle  and  pacific 
virtues  of  Christianity  did  not  spread  more  gene- 
rally through  the  lovely  and  fertile  region  of  Pales- 
tine, yet  this  is  no  reason  why  we  should  refuse  our 
admiration  to  the  bravery,  or  our  deepest  pity  to  the 
suferings,  of  the  Jewish  people.  Let  us  not  read 
the  fate  of  the  Holy  City,  in  that  unchristian  temper, 
which  prevailed  during  the  dark  ages,  when  every 
Jew  was  considered  a  personal  enemy  of  Christ 
and  therefore  a  legitimate  object  of  hatred  and  per- 
secution, but  rather  m  the  spirit  of  Him,  who,  when 
he  looked  forward  with  prophetic  foreknowledge  to 
Its  desolation,  nevertheless  was  seen  "  to  weep  over 
Jerusalem." 

The  astonishment  of  the  Romans  at  the  revolt  of 
this  comparatively  small  province,  and  at  the  news 
of  the  total  defeat  of  a  Roman  Prefect  at  the  head 
of  his  legionaries,  was  not  unmingled  with  conster- 
nation. The  emperor  Nero  was  then  in  Achaia. 
The  first  intelligence  of  the  affair  was  brought  by 
Costobar  and  Saul,  two  brothers,  related  to  the  He- 
rodian  family,  who,  with  Philip  tlie  Son  of  Jacimus, 
the  general  of  Agrippa,  had  made  their  escape  from 
Jerusalem.  The  two  former  were  despatched  at 
their  own  request  to  the  emperor,  by  Cestius,  who 
instructed  them  to  lay  the  whole  blame  of  the  war 
on  Fiorus.  Nero,  according  to  Josephus,  affected  to 
treat  the  affair  lightly.  He  expressed  great  con- 
tempt for  their  revolt,  but  great  anger  at  the  mis- 
conduct of  Cestius  ;  yet  he  could  not  help  betraying 
■fisible  marks  of  disturbance  and  terror.  The  im- 
portance really  attached  to  the  affair  may  be  judged 
by  the  selection  of  the  most  able  and  distinguished 
military  commander  in  the  empire.  VespasFan  had 
been  bred  to  arms  from  his  youth ;  he  liad  served 
with  great  fame  in  the  German  wars  ;  he  had  reduced 
lh.a  unknown  island  of  Bntain  into  a  Roman  cro- 


INSURGENTS  APPOINT  GOVERNORS.  21 J 

vince,  and  obtained  the  honours  of  a  triumph,  for 
the  emperor  Claudius,  witliout  his  own  personal  ex- 
ertion or  danger.  Nero  repressed  his  resentment 
against  Vesj)asian,  who  was  in  disgrace  for  not 
having  sufficiently  admired  the  fine  voice  and  style 
of  singing  of  the  thealrical  emperor.  He  eomuiittcd 
the  province  of  Syria  to  his  charge.  With  his  cha- 
racteristic despatch,  Vespasian  immediately  sent  his 
son  Titus  to  Alexandria  to  conduct  the  fifth  and 
tenth  legions ;  he  himself  travelled  with  all  speed, 
by  land,  to  Syria,  and  collected  all  the  Roman 
troops,  and  forces  from  the  neighbouring  tributary 
kings. 

In  the  meantime  the  insurgents  were  not  inactive. 
Some  of  the  more  prudent  hastened,  as  Josephus 
says,  to  desert  the  sinking  ship.  Those  who,  still 
Romanized,  were  brought  over,  some  by  persuasion, 
some  by  force.  They  called  a  general  assembly  in 
the  temple,  and  proceeded  to  elect  their  governors 
and  commanders.  Their  choice  fell  on  Joseph,  the 
son  of  Gorion,  and  Ananus,  the  Chief  Priest,  who 
were  invested  with  unlimited  authority  in  the  city. 
Eleazar,  the  son  of  Simon,  who  had  taken  so  active 
a  part  in  originating  and  conducting  the  first  insur- 
rection, and  in  the  death  of  Manahem,  was  passed 
over.  He  was  suspected,  not  without  grounds,  of 
aiming  at  kingly  power,  for  he  went  about  attended 
by  a  body  guard  of  zealots.  But  Eleazar,  probably 
as  commanding  within  the  temple,  had  made  him- 
self master  of  the  spoil  taken  from  the  Romans, 
the  military  chest  of  Cestius,  and  a  great  part  of 
the  public  treasures.  Jn  a  short  time,  the  want  of 
money,  and  his  extreme  subtlety,  won  over  the  mul- 
titude, and  all  the  real  authority  fell  into  his  hands. 
To  the  other  districts  they  sent  the  men  whom  they 
could  best  trust  for  courage  and  fidelity  to  their 
cause.  To  Idumaea,  Jesus,  son  of  Saphus,  one  of 
the  chief  priests,  and  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Ananias, 
also  a  chief   priest.      Niger  of  Peraea,  who  had 


214  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

hitherto  commanded  in  that  district,  was  directed 
tu  receive  his  orders  from  them.  To  Jericho  wag 
seal  Joseph,  son  of  Simon,  to  Peraea,  Manasseh,  to 
Thamna,  John  the  Essene :  for  even  among  these 
peaceful  hermits  were  found  men  who  would  tight 
for  their  freedom.  The  toparchies  of  Lydda,  Joppa 
and  Emmaus,  were  added  to  his  command.  John, 
the  son  of  Ananias,  had  the  toparchies  of  Gophni 
and  Acrabatene.  Joseph,  the  son  of  Mathias,  was 
Intrusted  with  the  command  of  Upper  and  Lower 
Galilee,  with  j  irticular  charge  of  the  strong  city 
Gamala. 

Galilee  was  the  province  on  which  the  storm 
would  first  break,  and  the  confidence  of  the  insur- 
gents in  the  ability  and  zeal  of  Joseph,  the  son  of 
Mathias,  may  be  fairly  estimated  from  their  com- 
mitting this  important  frontier  to  his  charge.  As 
long  as  the  passes  and  hill  fortresses  of  Galilee 
were  defended,  the  southern  region  and  Jerusalem 
itself  might  have  time  to  organize  their  forces,  and 
fortify  their  strong  holds.  Joseph,  the  son  of 
Mathias,  is  better  known  as  the  celebrated  Jose- 
phus  the  historian.  He  was  a  man  of  illustrious 
race,  lineally  descended  from  a  priestly  family,  the 
first  of  the  twenty-four  courses,  an  eminent  dis- 
tinction. By  his  mother's  side  he  traced  his  gene- 
alogy up  to  the  Asmonean  princes.  His  father 
Mathias  was  of  upright  character,  as  well  as  o( 
noble  birth;  he  resided  in  Jerusalem,  where  the 
young  Joseph  grew  up  with  a  brother  named 
Mathias,  with  great  reputation  for  early  intelli- 
gence and  memory.  At  fourteen  years  old  (he  is 
his  own  biographer)  he  was  so  fond  of  letters  that 
the  chief  priests  used  to  meet  at  his  father's  house 
to  put  to  him  difficult  questions  of  the  law.  At 
sixteen  he  detennined  to  acquaint  himself  with  the 
three  prevailing  sects,  those  of  the  Pharisees,  Sad- 
ducees,  and  Essenes.  For  though  he  had  led  for 
some  time  a  hardy,  diliicent.  and  studious  life,  he 


JOSEPHUS.  215 

did  not  consider  himself  yet  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  the  character  of  each  sect  to  decide  which  lie 
should  follow.  Havinjr  heard  that  a  certain  Essene, 
named  Banus,  was  living  in  the  desert  the  life  of  a 
hermit,  making  his  raiment  from  the  trees,  and  his 
food  from  the  wild  fruits  of  the  earth,  practisuig 
cold  ablutions  at  all  seasons,  and  in  short  using 
every  means  of  mortification  to  increase  his  sanc- 
tity, .losephus,  ambitious  of  emulating  the  fame  of 
such  an  example  of  holy  seclusion,  joined  him  in 
his  cell.  But  three  years  of  this  ascetic  life  tamed 
his  zealous  ambition,  he  grew  weary  of  the  desert, 
abandoned  his  great  example  of  painful  devotion, 
and  returned  to  the  city  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 
There  he  joined  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees.  In  his 
twenly-sixtli  year  he  undertook  a  voyage  to  Rome, 
in  Older  to  make  interest  in  favour  of  certain  priests, 
who  had  been  sent  there  to  answer  some  unimport- 
ant ciiarge  by  Felix.  They  were  friends  of  Jose- 
phus,  and  his  zeal  in  their  favour  was  heightened 
by  hearing  that,  with  religious  attachment  to  the 
law,  they  refused,  when  in  prison,  to  eat  any  un- 
clean food,  but  lived  on  figs  and  nuts.  On  his  voy- 
age he  was  shipwrecked,  like  St.  Paul,  and  in  great 
danger.  His  ship  foundered  in  the  Adriatic,  six 
hundred  of  the  crew  and  passengers  were  cast  into 
tiie  sea,  eighty  contrived  to  swim,  and  were  taken 
up  by  a  ship  from  Cyrene.  They  arrived  at  Dicne- 
archia  (Puteoli),  the  usual  landing-place,  and  Josepli, 
making  acquaintan(;e  with  one  Aliturus,  an  actor,  a 
Jew  by  birth,  and  from  his  profession  in  liigh  credit 
with  the  empress  Poppea,  he  obtained  the  release 
of  the  prisoners,  as  well  as  valuable  presents  from 
Poppea,  and  returned  home.  During  all  this  time 
he  had  studied  diligently,  and  made  himself  master 
of  the  Greek  language,  which  few  of  his  country- 
men could  write,  still  fewer  speak  with  a  correct 
pronunciation. 

On  his  return  to  Jerusalem,  he  found  affairs  in 


216  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

the  utmost  confusion:  great  preparations  were 
r;i;;king  for  the  v/ar,  and  the  insurn^eiUs  were  in  high 
spirits.  He  united  himself  to  the  party,  who  were 
for  peace,  and  strongly  urged  the  rashness  and  peril 
of  the  war;  apprehensive  that  these  unpopular  doc- 
trines had  made  him  an  object  of  suspicion  to  the 
more  violent,  and  dreading  lest  he  might  be  seized 
and  put  to  death,  he  retired,  after  the  capture  of  the 
Antonia,  into  the  inner  temple.  After  the  murder 
of  Manahem,  he  stole  forth  from  thence,  and  joined 
himself  to  a  considerable  body  of  the  chief  priests 
and  leading  Pharisees,  who  pretended  to  enter  into 
the  insurrectionary  measures  that  they  might  save 
the  lives  of  those  who  capitulated  in  the  palace,  yet 
looked  with  anxious  eagerness  for  the  advance  of 
Cestius,  who,  it  was  expected,  would  easily  suppress 
the  revolt. 

On  the  disastrous  retreat  of  Cestius,  and  the  bar- 
barous massacre  of  the  Jews  in  the  Syrian  cities, 
many  of  the  more  peaceful  party  joined  heart  and 
hand  with  the  insurgents,  others  pursued  a  more 
temporizing  policy,  and  outwardly  uniting  in  defen- 
sive measures,  still  cherished  a  secret  inclination  to 
submission.  To  which  of  these  parties  Joseph  the 
son  of  Mathias  belonged,  it  is  not  quite  so  easy  to 
decide ;  without  his  having  acquired  some  confi- 
dence with  the  war  faction,  he  would  scarcely  have 
been  intrusted  with  the  command  in  Galilee ;  yet 
he  undertook  that  post  with  the  approbation  and  at 
the  request  of  the  more  moderate.  Josephus,  with 
his  two  coadjutors,  Joazar  and  Judas,  hastened  to 
their  government.  The  province  of  Galilee  wa? 
divided  into  two  districts,  called  Upper  and  Lower 
Galilee,  it  contained  all  the  territory  which  had  be- 
longed to  the  northern  tribes  of  Naphtali,  Zebulun, 
Issachar  and  half  Manasseh,  reaching  to  the  district 
ot  Ptoiemais  on  the  north  and  Samaria  on  the 
south.  The  Jordan  was  the  eastern  limit.  The 
people  were  a  bold,  hardy,  and  warlike  race ;  consi- 


JOSEPHUS.  217 

dered  somewnat  Darbarous  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
metropolis,  and  speaking  a  harsh  and  grittural  dia- 
lect of  tlie  Syro-Cha]dai(;  hmg-uage,  which  was  the 
vernacidar  tongue  of  Palestine.  The  country  was 
reniarkaiily  rich,  abounding  in  pasture,  corn  land, 
and  fruit-trees  of  every  description.  The  popula- 
tion was  very  great.  They  lived  in  cities,  which 
were  numerous  and  large,  and  in  great  open  vil- 
lages, the  least  of  which,  says  Josephus,  contained 
15,000  inhabitants.  In  many  of  these  cities  there 
was  a  mingled  population  of  Syrians  and  Jews, 
rarely  on  an  amicable  footing,  often  forming  fierce 
and  hostile  factions.  Sepphoris  was  the  capital, 
but  that  rank  was  disputed  by  Tiberias  on  the  sea 
of  (ialilee. 

The  measures  of  Josephus  were  prudent  and  con- 
ciliatory, yet  by  no  means  wanting  in  vigour  and 
decision.  His  object  was  to  promote  union  and 
organize  the  whole  country  on  one  regular  system 
He  endeavoured  to  acquire  the  confidence  and  at- 
tachment of  the  people.  In  order  to  interest  and 
pledge  all  ranks  to  the  common  cause,  as  well  as  to 
secure  the  public  peace,  he  appointed  a  sort  of  San- 
hedrin  of  seventy,  and  seven  judges  in  each  city; 
all  less  important  causes  were  to  come  before  the 
latter  tribunal ;  cases  of  murder  before  himself  and 
the  Sanhedrin.  Yet  he  acknowledges  that  he  kept 
the  seventy  about  his  person  as  a  kind  of  hostages. 
In  all  respects  he  endeavoured  to  maintain  the 
strictest  character  for  probity  and  justice,  particu- 
larly laboured  in  those  lawless  times  to  protect  the 
chastity  of  the  females  from  insult  or  outrage,  re- 
fused all  presents  for  the  administration  of  justice, 
and  declined  all  opportunities  of  enriching  himself, 
though  he  confesses  that  he  secured  a  considerable 
share  in  the  confiscated  property  of  the  Syrian  in- 
liabitants  in  the  cities,  when  they  were  expelled  or 
massacred  by  the  Jews.  As  he  could  not  suppress 
the  robbers  he  obliged  them,  as  far  as  he  could,  to 


218  HIsrOR?  OP  THE  JEW* 

give  up  their  profession,  and  enrol  themselves  a» 
reg-ular  troops.  Having  thus  provided  that  the  war, 
if  com  nenced,  should  be  that  of  an  orderly  and 
united  people,  not  the  desultory  conflict  of  insur- 
gents and  robbers,  he  proceeded  to  fortify  with  the 
greatest  strength  and  expedition  the  most  defensible 
towns,  among  many  others,  Jotapata,  Tarichea, 
Tiberias,  Itabyrium  on  Mount  Tabor,  and  certain 
caves  near  the  lake  of  Gennesareth.  To  the  wealthy 
inhabitants  of  Sepphoris,  who  seemed  to  enter  zeal- 
ously into  the  cause,  he  granted  the  privilege  of 
building  their  own  fortifications,  and  gave  permission 
to  John,  the  son  of  Levi,  afterward  the  celebrated 
John  of  Gischala,  to  strengthen  that  city.  The 
others  he  superintended  in  person.  He  then  raised 
an  army  of  100,000  men,  armed  them  with  weapons, 
obtained  from  all  quarters,  and  proceeded  to  intro- 
duce the  Roman  discipline.  He  appointed  centu- 
rions and  decurions,  regularly  exercised  the  whole 
force  in  military  manceuvres,  and  thus  organized  an 
effective  army  of  60,000  foot,  and,  according  to  the 
text  of  Josephus,  from  which  probably  a  cipher  has 
fallen,  250  horse.  Besides  these  he  had  4,500  mer- 
cenaries, on  which  he  placed  his  chief  reliance,  and 
a  body  guard  of  600. 

Such  were  the  general  results  of  Joseph's  admi- 
nistration, but  all  these  vigorous  and  prudent  mea- 
sures were  perpetually  interrupted  and  rendered 
abortive,  partly  by  the  internal  dissensions  of  the 
province,  but  chiefly  by  the  machinations  of  his 
subtle  enemy,  John  of  Gischala.  While  Josephus 
invariably  represents  himself  as  the  most  upright, 
incorruptible,  and  patriotic  of  men,  no  colours  are 
too  dark  for  the  character  of  his  antagonist.  John 
of  Gischala  surpassed  all  men  of  high  rank  in  craft 
and  deceit,  all  of  every  class  in  wickedness.  He 
was  at  first  a  poor  adventurer,  his  poverty  stood  in 
the  way  of  his  advancement,  but  by  his  readiness 
in  falsehood,  and  by  the  singular  skill  with  which 


TTBERIAS.  21  n 

he  glozed  over  his  falsehoods  so  as  to  make  all  men 
believe  them,  he  deceii'ed  his  lunn'ost  friends ;  af- 
fecting humanity,  yet  most  sanguinary  for  the 
slightest  advantage,  lofty  in  his  ambition,  but  stoop- 
ing to  the  basest  means  to  obtain  his  end.  He 
began  as  a  single  robber,  but  gradually  collected  a 
powerful  and  select  banditti,  for  he  would  only 
admit  men  distinguished  either  for  strength,  bravery, 
or  warlike  skill.  His  force  at  length  amounted  to 
4000,  and  with  these  he  long  wasted  Galilee.  Such 
vas  the  man  who  counterworked  all  the  measures 
of  Josephus,  and  inflamed  the  dissensions  of  the 
province,  already  too  little  disposed  to  lasting  union. 
For  tliough  the  cities  of  Galilee  seem  generally 
to  have  submitted  to  the  administration  of  Joseph 
and  his  coadjutors,  so  as  to  permit  their  walls  to 
be  put  in  a  state  of  defence,  yet  each  had  its  sepa- 
rate interests  and  inclinations,  and  was  distracted 
by  violent  factions.  Sepphoris,  though  intrusted 
with  building  its  own  walls,  and,  as  Josephus  says 
in  one  place,  hearty  in  the  cause,  yet  inclined  to  the 
Roman  party:  the  inhabitants  had  sworn  fealty,  and 
given  hostages  from  the  chief  families  of  the  city 
to  Cestius,  these  were  still  at  Csesarea.  On  the  ar- 
rival of  Josephus  in  his  province,  he  found  the  ter- 
ritory of  Sepphoris  threatened  with  an  attack  by 
the  rest  of  the  Galileans  on  account  of  their  deal- 
ings with  the  Romans.  This  danger  was  averted 
by  Josephus,  and  the  Sepphorites  united,  as  was 
before  said,  in  the  common  cause.  Tiberias  was 
distracted  by  three  factions.  This  city  belonged  to 
Agrippa,  and  one  faction,  consisting  of  the  more 
opulent  and  respectable  burghers,  headed  by  Julius 
Capellus,  were  desirous  of  preserving  their  allegi- 
ance to  the  king.  A  second  of  the  lowest  class, 
headed  by  Jesus,  son  of  Saphia,  were  clamorous  for 
war.  A  third,  was  headed  by  Justus,  who  after- 
ward wrote  a  history  of  the  war.  Justus,  accord- 
ing to  his  rival  Josephus,  only  regarded  his  own 


220  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS 

interests  He  had  endeavoured  to  excite  a  feuiJ 
betAveen  Tiberias  and  Sepphoris,  asserting  that  on 
account  of  the  manifest  defection  of  the  latter  to 
the  Roman  party,  Tiberias  might  justly  be  ci>nsi- 
dered  the  capital  of  Galilee.  He  had  meditate;!  the 
attack  on  the  Sepphorite  district,  but  as  yet  had  only 
carried  his  plundering  bands  into  the  lands  of  Ga- 
dara,  and  Hippos.  Josephus,  after  settling  affairs  at 
Sepphoris,  went  to  Bethmaus,  within  half  a  mile  of 
Tiberias.  He  sent  for  the  senate,  who  came  readily 
to  parley  with  him  ;  he  opened  his  commission  from 
the  Sanhedrin  at  Jerusalem,  and  demanded  the  de- 
molition of  a  palace  built  by  Herod  the  Tetrarch, 
and  adorned  with  "  graven  images"  of  living  crea- 
tures. The  party  of  Agrippa  opposed  this  mea- 
sure; but  the  war-faction,  headed  by  Jesus  son  oi 
Saphia,  were  ready  for  any  work  of  destruction 
Besides,  they  were  not  a  little  tempted  by  the  hope 
of  plunder,  for  the  roof  of  the  palace  was  gilded. 
They  proceeded  to  plunder  the  furuiture,  and  then 
to  burn  the  palace  to  the  ground.  Flushed  with 
their  success  they  rose  on  the  Syrians,  massacred 
all  they  could  find,  and  at  the  same  tnne  seized  the 
opportunity  of  revenging  themselves  on  all  their 
fellow-citizens  who  had  been  their  enemies  before 
the  war. 

Josephus  seems  to  have  been  anxious  to  remain 
on  terms  with  Agrippa.  He  assumed  great  indig- 
nation at  the  plunder  of  the  palace,  of  which  he  had 
authorized  the  demolition,  gathered  up  the  wrecks 
of  the  furniture,  consisting  of  candlesticks  of  Co- 
rinthian brass,  royal  tables,  and  uncoined  silver,  and 
committed  them  to  the  custody  of  Capellus,  the  head 
of  Agrippa's  party.  Josepluis  then  proceeded  to 
Gischala.  At  the  commencemejit  of  the  msurrec- 
tion,  John  had  rather  inclined  to  the  Roman  faction. 
Upon  this  the  inhabitants  of  Gadara,  Gebara,  Sogana, 
and  other  towns,  had  assaulted  and  burnt  Gischala. 
John,  however,  had  rallied  his  foices,  recovered  the 


JOHN    OF    GISCHALA  22 1 

town,  and  fortified  it  more  strongly  than  before. 
As  yet  Jolin  and  Josephus  were  on  good  terms. 
Jn?ephus  admired  the  activity  of  John,  and  John 
\v;is  anxious  to  obtain  every  possible  advantage  from 
llie  governor  of  the  province.  He  first  proposed  to 
Josephus  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  carry  off 
large  quantities  of  corn  stored  up  by  the  Romans  in 
upper  Galilee ;  the  sale  of  this,  he  stated,  would  en- 
able him  to  complete  his  fortifications.  Josephus 
finswered  that  he  should  keep  that  corn  either  for  the 
Romans,  the  owners,  (a  suspicious  answer!)  or  for 
the  use  of  the  province  intrusted  to  him  by  the  San- 
hedrin  of  Jerusalem.  John  then  demanded  and  ob- 
tained a  monopoly  of  oil  sold  in  Syria.  For  the 
Jev  s  in  the  Syrian  towns  would  not  use  the  unclean 
oil  prepared  by  the  heathen,  and  were  obliged  to 
rbtain  it  from  their  own  country.  John  drove  a 
thriving  trade  ;  for  four  Attick  drachms  he  bought 
four  measures  of  oil,  which  he  sold  again  at  the 
same  sum  for  half  a  measure.  This  money  he  em- 
j  loved  in  undermining  the  power  of  Josephus,  and 
industriously  propagated  reports,  which  accused  him 
of  intending  to  betray  the  province  to  the  Romans. 
Vhether  or  not  the  suspicions  of  John  had  any  sub- 
staiitial  grounds,  strong  circumstances  combined  to 
throw  a  shade  on  the  popularity  of  Josephus.  Cer- 
tain youths  of  a  village  called  Dabarittae,  in  the  great 
plain,  waylaid  and  plundered  Ptolemy,  the  agent  of 
k:n<';  Agrippa.  Wuh  their  spoils,  consisting  of  em- 
broidered robes,  silver  vessels,  and  six  hundred 
pifi  es  of  gold,  they  went  to  Josephus,  then  at  Tari- 
chta.  Josephus  rebuked  them  for  the  robbery,  and 
coiiimltled  the  property  to  the  custody  of  one  of  the 
cliicf  citizens  of  Tarichea,  to  be  restored  to  the 
owi'crs.  The  robbers,  deprived  of  their  booty, 
raised  loud  outcries  against  the  governor,  whom 
they  accused  of  being  in  a  treasonable  league  with 
the  king.  One  hundred  thousand  armed  men  assem- 
bled (^Josephus  is  somewhat  prone  to  large  numbers) 


222  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEHU'S 

and  thi  onged  the  circus  of  Tarichea ;  some  c;  .ed  out 
to  depose,  some  to  burn  him.  With  this  intent  they 
surrounded  liis  house,  all  his  friends,  except  four, 
fled;  Josephus  suddenly  awoke  from  skep,  he  was 
•  neither  confounded  by  the  noise  of  his  assailants, 
nor  the  desertion  of  his  friends.  He  rent  his  robes, 
poured  ashes  on  his  head,  with  his  hands  behind  him, 
and  his  sword  suspended  around  his  neck,  he  went 
out  to  face  the  tumult.  The  Taricheans  were  moved 
with  compassion :  the  ruder  countrymen  continued 
their  clamour,  ordered  him  to  bring  forth  the  plun- 
der, and  confess  his  treasons.  Josephus  answered 
with  an  effrontery  and  readiness  of  falsehood  which 
miglit  have  done  credit  to  his  mendacious  rival  John 
of  Gischala.  "  Men  of  Tarichea,  ye  are  quite  in 
error  if  ye  suppose  that  I  kept  these  treasures  with 
any  design  of  restoring  them  to  king  Agrippa.  The 
fact  is,  that  seeing  the  walls  of  your  town  in  a  ruin- 
ous and  dismantled  state,  I  have  kept  them  to  be 
spent  in  fortifying  your  loyal  city."  This  bold 
address  threw  the  Taricheans,  to  the  number  of 
40,000,  on  his  side.  The  strangers,  particularly 
those  of  Tiberias,  contiiuied  the  tumult  for  some 
time,  but  at  length  sullenly  withdrew,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  2000,  (600)  of  the  most  desperate.  These 
men,  when  Josephus  retired  again  to  rest,  sur- 
rounded his  house  and  threatened  to  break  down  the 
doors.  Josephus  had  recourse  to  a  stratagem,  still 
more  daring.  He  mounted  the  roof  of  the  house, 
and  making  a  sign  that  he  wished  to  address  them, 
he  began  with  saying  that  from  the  height  he  could 
not  distinguish  their  demands,  but  if  they  would  de- 
pute some  of  their  leaders,  he  was  ready  to  treat 
with  them.  No  sooner  were  those  few  admitted, 
than  he  ordered  them  to  be  dragged  into  the  inner 
part  of  the  house,  and  scourged  tJl  their  bowels 
were  laid  open.  The  mob  began  to  grow  impatient, 
when  the  doors  were  opened,  and  tl  eir  leaders  were 
turned  out  among  them,  in  this  blo(Kiv  and  nangled 


JOSEPHrS  ESCAPES  FROM  IIBERLAS.  223 

State.  The  mob,  supposing  that  he  would  not  have 
ventured  on  such  a  step,  without  a  great  force  con- 
cealed, dispersed  in  consternation.*  The  secret 
enemy  of  Josephus,  John  of  Gischala,  had  prompted 
this  outrage,  but  as  there  was  no  open  breach  be- 
tween them,  John,  pretending  to  be  ill,  sent  to  de- 
mand permission  to  visit  Tiberias,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  warm  baths  in  that  city.  There,  partly  by  per- 
suasion, partly  by  bribes,  he  induced  the  inhabitants 
to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  the  governor.  Silas, 
who  commanded  in  the  city  under  Josephus,  sent 
immediate  intelligence  of  the  state  of  affairs.  Jose- 
phus travelled  night  and  day,  and  suddenly  appeared 
m  Tiberias.  John,  pretending  that  he  was  confined 
to  his  bed,  excused  himself  from  paying  his  respects 
to  the  governor.  Josephus  assembled  the  people  of 
Tiberias  in  the  circus.  He  had  begun  to  address 
them,  when  he  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  a  loud 
outcry  from  the  spectators ;  turning  round,  he  saw 
a  band  of  armed  men,  with  their  swords  drawn,  who 
were  placed  by  John  to  assassinate  him,  he  leaped 
from  his  rostrum,  which  was  about  six  feet  high, 
rushed  to  the  beach,  seized  a  boat,  and  with  two  of 
his  followers  pushed  out  into  the  lake  and  escaped. 
His  soldiers,  in  the  meantime,  attacked  the  band 
of  John,  but  Josephus,  apprehensive  of  a  civil  war, 
sent  orders  to  his  troops  to  abstain  from  bloodshed, 
and  resisted  all  the  urgent  entreaties  of  his  other 
Galilean  friends,  who  were  eager  to  make  an  exam- 


»  This  transaption,  as  indeed  the  whole  narrative  of  his  administra 
tion  in  Galilee,  is  related  with  such  extraordinary  variations  in  the  lif*" 
of  Joscphns,  and  in  the  history  of  the  Jewish  war,  as  to  leave  a  very 
unfavonrahle  im|iresslon,  if  not  of  the  writer's  veracity,  at  least  of  his 
accuracy.  It  is  impossible  to  keep  the  same  order  of  events,  and  in  ttiit 
alfair  the  War  cives  the  number  of  armed  men  at  2000,  the  Life  at 
6U0.  In  the  former,  those  admitted  into  ilie  house  are  called  the  mo'e 
di-<tiiicnished  and  ihe  rulers,  and  are  sent  in  to  treat  on  terms  of  agrtvj- 
ment.  In  tlie  other,  some  of  the  men  are  sent  in  to  receive  the  nionej'. 
which  he  was  accused  of  appropriating.  In  the  one,  all  those  a  mitlej 
aresc/^urtred;  in  the  other,  one  ringleader,  who  baa  his  hand  cutdff 
aud  hung  about  his  neck 


S'24  HISTORY    OP  THE   JEWS. 

pie  of  the  treacherous  city.  John  fled  to  Gischala, 
where  Josephus  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  attack 
him,  but  contented  himself  with  expelling  those  who 
espoused  his  party,  from  every  city  in  Galilee. 

In  the  meantime,  Sepphoris  began  again  to  waver. 
The  inhabitants  sent  to  Jesus,  who  commanded  a 
noted  troop  of  banditti,  800  strong,  on  the  borders 
of  Ptolemais,  offering  him  a  large  sum  to  make  war 
on  Josephus.  Jesus  thought  it  more  prudent  to 
earn  his  wages  by  stratagem  than  by  open  force. 
He  sent  to  request  an  interview  with  Josephus, 
that  he  might  salute  him,  and  immediately  began  his 
march  with  his  whole  troop.  One  of  his  followers, 
however,  deserted  and  put  Josephus  on  his  guard. 
Thus  forewarned,  Josephus  proceeded  to  the  inter- 
view, having  occupied  all  the  roads  with  his  own 
forces,  and  gave  orders  that  Jesus  alone,  and  his 
immediate  followers,  should  be  admitted  within  the 
gates,  which  were  to  be  closed  immediately  on  their 
entrance.  Jesus  entered  boldly,  but  Josephus  in- 
stantly ordered  him  to  throw  down  his  arms,  or  he 
was  a  dead  mail.  Trembling,  he  obeyed.  Josephus 
took  him  apart,  informed  him  that  he  was  aware  of 
his  treat;herous  designs,  but  offered  him  pardon  if  he 
w(Mil(l  repent  and  swear  to  be  faithful  to  him  in 
future.  Jesus  complied,  and  Josephus  having  se- 
verely threatened  the  Sepphorites,  departed  to  quell 
new  disturbances.  On  his  way  he  encountered  two 
officers  of  the  king,  from  Trachonitis,  who  wished 
t!)  join  him  with  some  horse;  these  men  the  Jews 
would  have  forced  to  submit  to  circumcision.  Jo- 
sephus interfered,  and  asserted  the  right  of  every 
man  to  worship  God  according  to  his  conscience. 
Gamala  now  demanded  the  presence  of  the  inde- 
fatigable governor.  After  the  departure  of  Philip, 
Agrip[)a's  general,  a  certain  Joseph,  son  of  a  female 
physician,  persuaded  the  people  to  revolt.  They 
forced  some  to  enter  into  their  views,  others  they 
put  to  death.     They  fortified  the  city,  wi/"  \he  ap- 


JOHN  OF  OISCIIAIiA.  22; 

probation  of  Josephus,  and  all  Gaulonitis,  a  district 
which  skirted  Upprv  f;ali]p«,folIn\vpfl  their  example. 
Gamala  was  now  threatened  by  iEqiiicohis  Modius: 
in  the  meantime,  Neapolitanus,  with  some  Roman 
troops,  pushed  towards  Tiberias,  and  J^butius,  a 
decurion,  advanced  ag-ainst  Josephns,  who  lay  at 
Simonias.  ^butius  endeavoured  to  draw  him  down 
to  the  plain,  where  his  cavalry  would  have  given 
him  an  advantage.  Josephus  <'ontinued  on  the  hills, 
and  ^butius  withdrew  with  some  loss.  Josephus 
then,  in  his  turn,  made  an  attack  on  some  maga- 
zines of  corn,  which  he  carried  off,  quietly  loading 
his  camels  and  asses,  in  the  sight  of  J<]butius,  who 
was  fairly out-genfralled.  jEquicolusIModius  failed 
in  his  attempt  on  Gamala. 

John  of  Gischala,  meantime,  remained  quiet  in  his 
citadel,  but  it  was  only  because  he  was  laying  a 
train  from  a  greater  distance,  which  was  to  explode 
under  the  feet  of  his  enemy.     He  sent  his  brother 
Simon,  and  Jonathan,  son  of  Sisenna,  to  Simon,  son 
of  Gamaliel,  at  Jerusalem,  to  persuade  the  people 
that  Josephus  was  forming  a  dangerous  power  in 
Galilee,  and  to  demand  his  recall.     Simon  was  a 
man  of  great  character  and  weight,  but  ill-disposed 
to   Josephus,   and   closely   allied   with   John.     By 
bribes  they  brought  Ananus,  the  chief  priest,  who 
at  first  espoused  the  cause  of  Josephus.  and  Jesus, 
the  son  of  Gamala,  into  their  party.     They  deter- 
mined to  act  with  caution,  lest  Josephus  should  ad- 
vance with  his  numerous  and  devoted  army  against 
Jerusalem.     Jonathan  and  Ananias,  two  learned  and 
influential  Pharisees,  and  Joazar  and  Simon,  priests, 
were  sent  gradually  to  alienate  the  Galileans  from 
their  attachment  to  Josephus,  and  then  either  to  put 
hini  to  death  or  bring  him  alive  to  Jerusalem.     They 
had  troops  with  them;  John  of  Gischala  received 
orders  to  render  them  every  support,  and  Sepphoris, 
Gabara,  and  Tiberias,  were  to  hold  their  troops  in 
readiness  at  the  f;ommand  of  John.     Josenhus  ffot 


226  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

intelligence  of  the  plot  through  his  father,  and  also, 
as  lie  relates,  t^fo'ijrh  a  r^mar'-ahlo  dream,  which 
warned  him  thai  he  sliouid  reiiiam  in  Galilee,  and 
fight  against  the  Romans.  In  compliance  with  the 
earnest  supplications  of  all  the  Galileans,  who  en- 
treated him  not  to  abandon  them,  he  gave  up  his 
intention  of  submitting  to  the  mandate  and  with- 
drawing to  Jerusalem.  With  8,000  foot  and  80  horse, 
he  posted  himself  at  Chabolo,  on  the  frontier  of  Pto- 
lemais,  under  the  pretext  of  making  head  against 
Placidus,  who  had  begun  to  waste  Galilee.  Four  of 
their  cities,  Sepphoris,  Gamala,  Gischala,  and  Tibe- 
rias, acknowledged  the  authority  of  the  deputation 
from  Jerusalem.  The  deputies  who  had  travelled 
secretly  and  with  expedition,  in  order  to  come  on 
Josephus  unawares,  findmg  him  on  his  guard,  still 
attempted  to  proceed  by  craft  rather  than  by  force. 
They  sent  a  friendly  letter,  informing  him  that  they 
were  come  to  punish  the  subtle  proceedings  of  his 
enemy  John,  and  to  force  him  to  obedience.  .Tose- 
phus  kept  the  letter  unopened  to  the  evening,  when 
he  had  a  great  banquet  of  his  friends,  to  which  he 
invited  the  messenger.  He  then  secretly  made 
himself  master  of  its  contents,  and  sealed  it  up 
again.  He  ordered  the  messenger  20  drachms,  as  a 
reward  for  having  brought  welcome  intelligence. 
The  messenger  was  delighted.  He  then  plied  him 
with  wine,  and  offered  him  a  drachm  with  every 
cup,  till  the  man  betrayed  the  whole  plot.  Josephus 
wrote  back  a  friendly  answer,  excusing  himself 
from  attendance,  on  account  of  the  necessity  of 
watching  Placidus.  The  deputies,  who  passed  from 
place  to  place,  and  found  almost  every  town  in 
favour  of  Josephus,  and  enraged  against  John,  sent 
a  more  peremptory  message,  requiring  his  attend- 
ance at  Gabara,  to  make  good  his  charge  aganisl 
John  of  Gischala.  Josephus  expressed  his  readi- 
ness to  wait  upon  them,  but  not  at  Gabara  or  Gis- 
chala.  where    he   apprehended   treachery.      They 


INTRIOrES  AGAINST  JOSEPHUS.  t27 

deteniiined  to  send  messeng-ers  throughout  Gahlee  to 
excite  the  malecontents.  Josephus  waylaid  thv!  roads 
from  Gabara,  seized  all  the  messengers,  ai.d  mad-* 
himself  master  of  all  the  letters.  Upon  this  he  sur- 
rounded Gabara  with  his  own  Galileans,  and  boldly 
entered  the  town.  He  first  went  to  repose  at  an 
itm ;  his  enemies  seized  the  opportunity  to  raise  tht 
people  against  him,  but  failed.  Josephus  soon  after 
made  his  appearance  in  the  assembly.  The  Gali- 
leans surrounded  the  hall  with  loud  acclamations- 
John  and  his  friends  endeavoured,  in  vain,  to  make 
their  escape.  Josephus  publiiily  read  the  letter^ 
which  he  had  intercepted,  the  deputies  were  con- 
founded, the  people  unanimous  m  their  applause. 
The  mob  would  willingly  have  fallen  on  the  whole 
assembly,  who  were  saved  only  by  the  merciful  in- 
tervention of  Josepluis.  Josephus  then  took  horse 
and  rode  away  to  Sogana.  From  thence  he  des- 
patched an  embassy  of  100  men  of  distinction, 
escorted  by  an  armed  guard  of  500,  to  Jerusalem. 

The  discomfited  deputies  retired  to  Tiberias,  John 
to  Gischala.  At  Tiberias  they  expected  the  city  to 
declare  in  their  favour,  but  Josephus  suddenly  made 
his  appearance  there.  They  received  him  with  hy- 
pocritical courtesy,  but  requested  him  to  withdraw, 
on  account  of  the  approaching  Sabbath,  lest  there 
should  be  a  disturbance.  He  retired  to  Tarichea ; 
new  scenes  of  trickery  followed ;  the  deputies, 
with  Jesus  and  Justus,  the  turbulent  leaders  of  Ti- 
berias, endeavoured  to  raise  the  town.  Josephus 
again  appeared  with  his  soldiers;  they  got  rid  of 
him  by  a  false  alarm  of  Roman  troops  seen  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Josephus  counteracted  this  by 
another  plot.  They  appointed  a  general  fast,  during 
which  no  one  was  to  appear  armed  at  the  Proseuchae. 
Josephus  and  his  friends  concealed  their  daggers 
and  breastplates  under  their  robes,  and  wlien  the 
enemy  expected  to  find  them  defenceless,  they 
brandished  their  weapons.     The  deputation  of  lo 


i28  HISTOHY  or  THE  JEWS. 

sephus,  in  the  mean  time,  returned  from  Jerusalern 
witii  a  favourable  answer,  confirming  him  in  the 
g-overnment.  He  summoned  an  assembly  of  the 
Caliieans,  who,  in  the  same  spirit,  declared  their 
t-eady  and  cheerful  submission  to  his  command. 
/pilioldened  by  this,  he  began  to  act  with  greater 
vigour;  he  chastised  the  unruly  inhabitants  of  Ti- 
berias, got  the  deputies  into  his  power,  and  sent 
them  back  to  Jerusalem. 

Tiberias  attempted  again  to  revolt,  and  surrender 
the  city  to  the  troops  of  Agrippa.  Not  having  his 
forc^es  in  readiness,  Josephus  had  recourse,  as  usual, 
to  one  of  his  stratagems.  He  seized  240  vessels, 
put  not  above  four  sailors  in  each,  and  commanded 
them  to  talce  their  station  in  sight  of  the  town,  and 
then  advanced  boldly  to  the  gates.  The  citizens 
supposing  the  ships  full  of  soldiers,  surrendered  at 
discretion.  Josephus  got  the  senators  to  the  number 
of  600,  and  2000  of  the  people  within  his  power, 
and  sent  them  to  Tarichea.  They  denounced  one 
Clitus,  as  the  ringleader;  he  was  carried  to  the 
shore  to  have  his  hands  cut  off;  on  his  earnest  ap- 
plication, one  was  spared ;  the  rest  of  the  malecon- 
tents  were  pardoned.  After  this,  Josephus  surprised 
Ciischala,  and  gave  it  up  to  pillage.  Sepphoris  ad- 
mitted the  troops  of  Gallus  into  their  city.  Jose- 
phus, with  his  forces,  scaled  the  walls,  but  was 
beaten  back,  and  afterward  defeated  in  the  open 
plain.  The  troops  of  Agrippa  soon  after  made  their 
appearance  under  the  command  of  Sylla ;  they  were 
posted  near  Julias.  Josephus,  endeavoured,  by  a 
feigned  flight,  to  betray  them  into  an  ambush,  and 
might  have  succeeded,  but  his  horse  unfortmiately 
pluliged  into  a  morass,  and  he  was  severely  hurt  in 
the  wrist,  and  carried  to  Cepharnome.  From 
tlieiK^e,  feverish  symptoms  appearing,  he  was  re- 
moved to  Tarichea. 

Thus  we  have  endeavoured  to  wind  our  weary 
way  through  the  intricate  politics  ol  Galilee.     It  is 


PREPAKATIONS  FOR  WAR.  229 

difficult  to  conceive  how  all  these  iiitrigues,  as  well 
as  all  the  masterly  and  effective  wurlilce  prepara- 
tions of  Joseptius,  cuiild  be  carried  on  simulta- 
neously, more  prirticularly  if  all  these  transactions 
must  be  crowded  into  the  winter  of  one  year,  GG-7. 
Besides  the  details  of  armies  raised,  armed,  and  ex- 
ercised; cities  fortified  and  streng-thened ;  the  ci\il 
administration  set  on  a  regular  footing;  by  his  own 
statement,  Jostiphus  twice  took  Sepphoris,  four 
times  Tiberias,  once  Gadara,  perhaps  Gischala; 
counteracted  the  plots,  defeated  the  troops,  took 
and  pardoned  his  subtle  antagonist  John.  Yet  we 
must  either,  adhering  to  the  usual  chronology,  ad- 
mit this  improbability,  or  throw  back  the  whole 
events  of  the  year  which  ended  in  the  defeat  of 
Cestius  Gallus,  into  the  year  65;  and  adopt  almost 
as  incredible  a  supposition,  that,  with  most  unusual 
'nactivity,  the  Romans  left  the  defeat  of  Cestius  un- 
revenged,  and  allowed  the  Jews  a  whole  year  to  or- 
ganize their  revolt,  and  strengthen  their  territory 
against  invasion. 

In  the  meantime,  the  insurgents  in  Jerusalem  con- 
tmued  to  press  their  preparations  for  war,  with  as 
g-reat  activity  and  less  interruption  than  those  in 
Galilee.       For    though   the    timid    and    moderate 
jToaned  in  heart  to  hear  the  din  of  war,  the  clatter- 
ing of  arms ;  the  gymnasia  echoing  with  the  tramp- 
ling marcli  of  all  the  youth  in  military  exercise ;  and 
sadly  foreboded  the  miseries  and  ruin  to  which  the 
oyous  city,  the  place  of  national  festival,  the  rich, 
he  beautiful,  the  holy  city  of  Sion  was  thus  solf- 
levoted ;  though  they  could  not  utter  their  prayers 
n  the  temple,  nor  make  their  offerings  on  the  altar 
of  Jehovah  without  awful  misgivings  that  before 
long  the  worship  might  be  proscribed,  and  fire  and 
sword  lay  waste  the  courts  of  the   Lord's  house: 
yet  they  were  constrained  to  suppress  or  conceal 
the  unoopular  weakness,  and  trembled  lest  the  fierce 


£30  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS 

eye  of  the  zealot  or  the  assassin  shoujd  detect  the 
dangerous  or  unpHtriotic  einolinn. 

In  the  city,  Ananus  the  chief  priest  took  the 
I«ad ;  arms  were  fabricated  with  the  greatest  expe- 
dition ;  the  walls  strengthened,  military  engines 
made,  and  stores  of  every  kuid  laid  in  with  the 
utmost  care  and  expedition.  The  timid  and  mode- 
rate were  not  the  only  enemies  with  whom  Ananus 
had  to  contend.  The  fierce  Simon,  the  son  of 
Gioras,  has  already  appeared,  at  the  head  of  his 
daring  bandits,  rendering  good  service  during  the 
retreat  of  Cestius.  In  the  toparchy  of  Acrabe- 
tene,*  he  had  betaken  himself,  not  to  the  regular 
defence  of  the  country,  but  to  the  most  lawless 
ravage.  He  broke  open  and  pillaged  the  houses  of 
the  opulent;  and  even  inflicted  personal  violence, 
scourging  and  maltreating  all  who  opposed  him. 
Already  men  began  to  forebode  both  his  daring  am- 
bition, which  would  not  be  content  with  less  than 
the  highest  station,  and  his  cnielty,  which  would 
scruple  at  no  means  of  obtaining  or  securing  ad- 
vancement. Ananus  sent  some  troops  against 
him;  Simon  took  refuge  with  men  of  a  kindred 
spirit,  who  held  Masada;  and  from  thence  he 
Dursued  his  ravages  in  Iduinaea,  tiU  the  magistrates 
of  that  district  were  constrained  to  raise  an  army, 
and  set  a  guard  in  every  village. 

It  was  probably  soon  after  the  defeat  cf  Cestius, 
that  an  unsuccessful  expedition  was  attempted 
against  Ascalon.  This  strong  city,  situated  about 
sixty-five  miles  from  Jerusalem,  was  weakly  gar- 
risoned by  one  cohort  of  foot  and  one  troop  of 
horse,  under  a  commander  named  Antonius.  The 
Jews  marched  out  in  great  force  under  Niger  of 
Peraea,  Silas  the  Babylonian,  and  John  the  Essene. 
Antonius,  undismayed  by  the  number  and  the  daring 

•  There  were  two  Acrabatenes,  which  cause  great  confusion ;  one, 
according  to  Jerome,  between  Neapolis,  Sichein,  and  Jericho;  the  olha 
In  the  souUi  of  Judiea,  bordering  on  Idumeea. 


BATTIE  NEAR  ASCALON.  231 

of  the  er.emy,  led  out  his  horse.  The  Jewish 
soldiers  were  all  infantry,  undisciplined  and  unused 
to  war.  The  first  furious  charge  of  the  cavalry 
broke  their  van,  which  fell  hack  on  their  main  body, 
threw  it  into  confusion,  and  the  whole  army  was 
scattered  in  small  squadrons  over  the  field.  The 
active  Roman  horse  attacked  first  one  band,  then 
another,  charging  and  riding  round  them,  their ! 
mounted  archers  making  dreadful  havock.  Numbers 
were  of  no  avail,  or  rather  stood  in  the  way  of 
effective  defence.  The  vast  and  confused  multitude 
could  not  fight,  and  would  not  fly.  Night  put  an 
end  to  the  battle,  or  rather  to  the  carnage.  10,000 
men,  with  Judas  and  Silas,  fell :  Niger  escaped  with 
the  rest  to  a  small  tower  named  Sallae.  The  Jews 
were  not  cast  down  by  this  signal  defeat.  In  the 
shortest  time,  not  enough  for  the  wounded  to  get 
healed,  they  assembled  all  their  forces,  and  in  still 
greater  pride  and  indignation  again  marched  out 
against  Ascalon.  They  had  learned  as  little  pru- 
dence as  humility.  Antonius  occupied  the  passes 
with  an  ambush,  and  suddenly  surrounding  the 
Jewish  army  with  his  horse,  after  scarcely  any 
resistance,  cut  down  8000  of  them.  Niger,  who 
showed  great  courage  in  the  retreat,  again  escaped, 
and  got  possession  of  a  strong  tower  in  a  village 
called  Bezedel.  The  Romans,  who  had  not  time 
for  a  regular  siege,  and  yet  were  unwilling  to  allow 
so  formidable  a  leader  to  escape,  set  fire  to  the  wall. 
Having  seen  the  tower  in  flames,  they  retreated  in 
iriumph.  Niger,  however,  leaped  down  into  a  deep 
cavern  which  was  under  the  tower ;  and  when  his 
sorrowing  companions  came  three  days  after  to  find 
his  body,  that  they  might  bury  it,  they  heard  his 
feeble  voice  calling  them  from  below.  The  Jews 
were  full  of  joy,  and  looked  on  the  escape  of  theii 
champion  as  little  less  than  a  miraculous  proof  of 
divine  favour. 


(  232  ) 


BOOK  XV. 

THE  WAR. 

1'^tf%riaii—  'iii.fr*  of  Jotapata — Fall  of  Japha — Mcunt  (Teriirm  — 
•Lnpture  if  Jotapata — Josephns — Svrrender  of  Tihrrias — Fall  ej 
Tarichea  — M'insacre — Siege  nf  Cfamala—  Fall  of  Habyrinm—  Taking 
of  GamJtUt — of  Oischala — Flight  of  John — Feuds  in  Jerusalenu 

With  tbe  early  spring  Vespasian  appeared  at  An- 
tioch,  ai  the  head  of  his  powerful  army.  There 
Agrippa  met  him  with  all  his  forces.  Vespasian 
advanced  to  Ptolemais :  he  was  met  by  a  deputa- 
tion from  Sepphoris.  The  metropolis  of  Galilee, 
notwithstanding  the  authority  and  the  threats  of 
Josephus,  again  made  overtures  to  join  the  invader. 
Vespasian  received  the  deputies  with  great  courtesy, 
and  sent  them  back  with  a  strong  body  of  1000 
horse  and  6000  foot,  to  defend  their  city  against 
any  attack  of  the  Jews.  These  troops,  under  the 
command  of  Placidus,  took  up  their  position  towards 
the  great  plain,  the  foot  within  the  city,  the  cavalry 
encamped  without  the  walls.  From  these  quarters 
they  ravaged  the  surrounding  country.  Josephus 
made  one  strong  effort  to  recover  the  capital,  but 
was  repulsed,  and  only  the  more  exasperated  the 
Romans,  who  spread  fire  and  sword  over  the  whole 
region ;  they  slew  all  who  were  able  to  bear  arms, 
the  rest  they  carried  off  as  slaves. 

Titus,  with  expedition  unusual  during  the  winter 
season,  sailed  from  Achaia  to  Alexandria.  From 
thence  he  shipped  his  troops  for  Ptolemais,  and 
joined  his  father.  Vespasian  was  now  at  the  head 
of  three  of  the  most  distinguished  legions  of  the 
Roman  army, — the  fifth,  tenth,  and  fifteenth.  Be- 
sides these,  he  had  twenty-three  cohorts,  five  of 


A.O.  G7.J  ADVANCE  OP  VESPASlAJf.  iSJl 

tliem  from  Caesarea.  Ten  of  these  cohorts  mus- 
tered 1000  men;  the  rest  600,  with  150  horse  each. 
The  allied  force  consisted  of  2000  foot,  all  archers, 
and  1000  horse,  furnished  by  Antiochus,  Agrippa, 
and  Soliemus.  Malchus,  kin^  of  Arabia,  sent  1000 
horse  and  5000  foot,  the  greatest  part  archers.  The 
whole  army  amounted  to  60,000  regulars,  horse  and 
foot,  besides  foilowers  of  the  camp,  who  were  also 
accustomed  to  military  service,  and  could  fight  on 
occasion. 

The  campaign  was  now  formally  opened:  the 
forces  of  Placidus  overspread  the  whole  country. 
Josephus  attempted  no  resistance  in  the  open  field. 
The  inhabitants  had  been  dir"c;tcd  to  fly  to  the  for- 
tified cities ;  ail  who  were  not  expeditious  or  fortu- 
nate enough  to  escape  were  ^ut  off"  or  seized.  But 
these  were  the  unwarlike  part  of  the  people :  the 
more  active  and  courageous  had  all  crowded  into 
the  cities.  The  strongest  of  all  these  was  Jotapata, 
where  Josephus  commanded  in  person.  Placidus 
concluded  that,  if,  by  an  unexpected  attack,  he 
could  make  himself  master  of  that  important  post, 
the  blow  would  so  terrify  the  rest,  that  they  would 
immediately  fall.  He  marched  rapidly  against  it ; 
but  the  garrison  of  Jotapata  received  timely  infor- 
mation ;  and  anticipated  the  attack  by  a  daring 
sally,  for  which  the  Romans  were  entirely  unpre- 
pared. The  troops  of  Placidus  were  repulsed ;  many 
wounded,  but  only  seven  killed  ;  for  the  legionaries 
retreated  in  good  order,  and  being  entirely  covered 
with  their  defensive  armour,  seldom  received  mortal 
wounds.  The  Jews  were  only  light-armed  troops, 
wlio  rarely  ventured  to  fight  hand  to  hand,  but 
annoyed  the  enemy  at  a  distance  with  their  jave- 
lins. It  was  an  inspiriting  commencement  of  the 
campaign. 

At  length  the  vast  army  of  Vespasian  began  to 
move.  Josephus  describes  the  order  of  march  with 
Ihe  accuracy  of  an  eyewitness.     He  must,  indeed, 


234  HISTORY  OF  THE  JKWS. 

have  watched  its  stem  and  regular  advance  with 
the  trembliaa^  curiosity  of  the  sailor,  who  sees  tha 
tempest  slowly  gathering,  which  is  about  to  burst, 
and  perhaps  wreck,  his  weak  and  ill-appointed  bark- 
The  van  was  preceded  by  the  light-armed  allies  and 
their  archers,  who  scattered  over  the  plain  to  observe 
any  unexpected  attack  of  the  enemy,  and  to  examine 
all  the  woods  or  thickets  that  might  conceal  an 
ambuscade.  Then  came  part  of  the  heavy-armed 
cavalry  and  infantry,  followed  by  ten  of  each  cen- 
tP'^ary,  carrying  the  furniture  and  vessels  of  the 
'iip.  After  these  the  pioneers,  who  were  to 
•laighten  the  winding  roads,  level  the  hills,  or  cut 
down  the  woods  which  might  impede  the  march  ol 
the  main  army.  Then  came  the  baggage  of  the 
general  and  his  officers,  strongly  guarded  by  cavalry. 
Next  rode  the  general,  with  a  picked  troop  of  foot, 
horse,  and  lancers.  After  him  the  horse  of  his  own 
legion,  for  to  each  legion  there  were  120  cavalry 
attached.  Then  the  mules,  which  carried  the  mili- 
tary engines,  and  the  besieging  train.  The  lieute- 
nant generals,  the  commanders  of  cohorts,  and  the 
tribunes  followed,  each  with  a  chosen  band  of  men. 
Then  the  eagles,  of  which  each  legion  had  one.  The 
standards  were  followed  by  the  trumpeters.  Behind 
came  the  phalanx  itself,  in  files  six  deep.  A  cen- 
turion, whose  business  it  was  to  keep  order,  brought 
up  their  rear.  Behind  them  were  the  servants  with 
the  baggage,  on  mules  and  other  beasts  of  burden. 
After  the  Romans  marched  the  mercenaries ;  a 
strong  rear  guard  of  light  and  heavy-armed  foot, 
and  many  horse,  closed  the  procession.  The  hosi 
passed  on  in  its  awfid  magnificence.  Vespasian 
halted  on  the  frontier  of  Galilee,  as  if  to  give  the 
revolted  province  time  for  repentance,  or  to  stnke 
tenor  into  the  more  obstinate  insurgents.  The 
measure  was  not  without  effect;  no  sooner  did  iht 
army  of  Josephus,  which  was  encamped  at  Gaiis 
not  far  from  Sepphoris,  hear  of  this  treraendcm 


May  11.]         8IEOE  or  joi.  »ATA.  J35 

invasion,  than,  before  they  had  seen  the  tnemy,  thty 
dispersed  on  all  sides ;  and  Josephus,  left  almoi  t 
alone,  began  to  despair  of  the  war.  It  was  idle  t< 
think  of  opposing  such  an  enemy  with  a  few  dis 
pirited  troops  ;  he  gathered,  therefore,  the  wreck  o. 
his  army,  and  fled  to  Tiberias. 

Vespasian  marched  against  Gadara;  the  city  was 
ungarrisoned,  and  the  stern  Roman  proceeded  to 
make  a  terrible  example,  and  to  wipe  out  the  affront 
of  Cestius  in  the  blood  of  the  enemy.  The  youth 
were  put  to  the  sword,  not  a  man  escaped ;  the  city, 
with  every  village  and  hamlet  in  the  neighbourhood, 
was  burnt  to  the  ground ;  the  (e\v  villagers,  whose 
lives  were  spared,  were  seized  as  slaves.  The 
retreat  of  Josephus  to  Tiberias  filled  the  city  with 
consternation;  they  naturally  construed  it  into  a 
proof  that  he  despaired  of  success.  They  were 
not  wrong,  for  the  manner  in  which  the  war  was 
conducted  made  him  consider  resistance  hopeless 
Yet,  though  by  his  own  account  he  could  imme 
diately  have  made  terms  with  the  Romans,  he  dett. 
mined  not  to  abandon  the  cause.  He  sent  despatc  hes 
to  Jerusalem,  strongly  worded,  in  which  he  exhorted 
them  to  make  their  immediate  option,  either  of  capi- 
tulating at  once,  or  sending  a  powerful  and  effective 
army  into  the  field. 

Jotapata  was  the  city  in  which  the  greater  part, 
and  those  the  bravest,  of  the  Galilean  warriors  had 
taken  refuge.  It  was  strongly  situated  in  a  rugged 
mountainous  district.  The  roads  were  scarcely 
practicable  for  infantry,  quite  impassable  for  horse. 
In  four  days  the  pioneers  of  Vespasian  cut  a  practi- 
cable road  right  through  the  mountains,  and  on  the 
fifth,  Jotapata  lay  open  to  the  army.  Josephus  con- 
trived to  throw  himself  into  the  city.  This  was 
made  known  to  Vespasian  by  a  deserter.  He  be- 
came more  eager  for  the  capture  of  the  town  when 
he  heard  that  the  general  in  chief  was  within  the 
walls.    It  seemed  as  though  the  most  prudent  ol 


t36  HisTOBY  OF  THE  JEWS.         [May  15 

the  enemy  had  surrendered  himself,  as  into  a  prison. 
Placidus  and  ^']biitins,  decurions  of  afreat  merit,  in 
whom  Vespasian  liad  great  confidence,  were  sent 
with  1000  horse  to  surromid  the  walls,  and  cut  off 
all  possibility  of  escape. 

The  next  day.  May  15th,  Vespasian  advanced  in 
person  with  his  whole  army.  During  all  the  day, 
till  late  in  the  evening,  the  defenders  of  Jotapata 
saw  from  their  lofty  battlements  the  slow  and  end- 
less files  emerging  from  the  straight  and  level  road 
which  led  to  the  city  walls.  It  was  in  the  strength 
©f  their  position,  their  rugged  and  precipitous  moun- 
tains, and  their  dark  and  impenetrable  forests,  that 
they  had  relied  for  their  security.  To  their  conster- 
nation they  saw  the  woods  falling  before  the  axe 
of  the  pioneer,  like  grain  before  the  sickle  of  the 
reaper;  the  lofty  crests  of  their  mountains,  as  it 
were,  bowing  down  their  heads  before  the  ••esistless 
invader;  and  nature  itself  giving  up  the  custody  of 
her  unprotected  fortress.  Vespasian  drevv  up  his 
whole  army  on  a  hill,  less  than  a  mile  to  the  north 
of  the  city ;  his  object  was  to  strike  terror  into  the 
defenders  by  the  display  of  his  whole  for'  e,  which 
lay  encamped  on  the  slope.  He  was  not  mistaken 
in  the  effect  which  it  produced :  the  garriso..  cowered 
behmd  their  walls  ;  not  a  man  ventured  forth.  The 
army,  weary  with  their  long  march,  did  not  advance 
to  an  immediate  assault :  they  proceeded  to  draw  a 
triple  line  of  circumvallation  round  the  city ;  and 
thus  every  chance  of  escape  was  cut  off.  This, 
however,  instead  of  striking  terror,  drove  the  whole 
garrison  to  despair.  They  felt  themselves  cooped 
up,  like  wild  beasts  in  their  lair;  they  had  no  course 
left  l)Ut  to  fight  gallantly  to  tlie  utmost ;  and  their 
first  consternation  gave  place  to  the  fiercest  valom 
and  the  most  stubborn  resolution. 

The  next  (^ay  the  attack  began.  The  Jews,  dis- 
daining to  be  pent  up  within  their  walls,  pitched  their 
camp  before  the  trenches,  and  went  boldly  forth  to 


DESCHIPTION  OF  JOTAPATA.  237 

meet  the  enemy.  Vespasian  ordered  the  bowmen  and 
sling-ers  to  gall  them  with  their  missiles,  and  himsell 
with  the  infantry  begfan  to  ascend  a  dechvity  which 
led  to  the  least  defensible  part  of  the  wall.  Josephus 
saw  the  danger,  and  with  the  whole  strength  of  the 
garrison  made  a  resolute  sally,  and  drove  the  assail- 
ants down  the  hill.  Great  valour  was  displayed  on 
both  sides.  On  one  side  fought  desperation ;  on  tho 
other,  the  haughty  shame  of  being  defeated  by  such 
a  foe ;  the  Romans  had  skill  in  the  use  of  theic 
weapons ;  the  Jews  made  up  what  they  wanted 
in  practice  and  experience  with  reckless  braverj' 
Night  separated  the  combatants,  yet  the  slaughter 
was  not  great  on  either  side:  the  Romans  lost 
thirteen  killed  and  many  wounded ;  the  Jews,  seven 
teen  killed,  but  six  hundred  wounded. 

On  the  following  day  they  again  attacked  the 
Romans.  They  had  become  more  resolute,  tjinct 
they  found  they  could  make  head  against  their 
formidable  enemies.  Every  morning  added  to  the 
fury  of  the  contest ;  for  five  days  the  Romans  con- 
tinued to  make  their  assaults,  and  the  Jews  to  sally 
forth  or  fight  from  the  walls  with  equal  courage  i 
the  Jews  had  now  lost  all  their  terror  of  the  Roman 
prowess ;  while  the  Romans,  with  their  obstinate 
bravery,  persisted  in  forcing  their  way  to  the  walls. 

Jotapata  stood  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill,  on 
three  sides  rising  abruptly  from  the  deep  and  im- 
passable ravines  which  surround  it.  Looking  down 
from  the  summit  of  the  walls  the  eye  could  not  dis- 
cover the  bottom  of  these  frightful  chasms.  It  was 
so  imbosomed  in  lofty  mountains  that  it  could  not 
be  seen  till  it  was  actually  approached.  It  could 
only  be  entered  on  the  north ;  where  the  end  of  the 
ridge  sloped  more  gradually  down ;  on  this  declivity 
the  city  was  built ;  and  Josephus  had  fortified  this 
pait  with  a  very  strong  wall.  Vespasian  called  a 
council  of  war.  It  was  determined  to  raise  an  em- 
bankment (agger'i  against  the  w^M  prac^-icable  part 


238  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS 

of  the  wall.  The  whole  army  was  sent  out  to  pro 
vide  materials.  The  neighbouring  mountains  fur- 
nished vast  quantities  of  stone  and  timber.  In  order 
to  cover  themselves  from  the  javelins  and  arrows 
of  the  garrison,  the  assailants  stretched  a  kind  oi 
roof,  made  with  wattles  of  wicker-work,  over  their 
palisades ;  under  this  pent-house  they  laboured 
securely  at  their  embankment.  They  worked  in 
three  divisions,  one  bringing  earth,  the  others  stone, 
or  wood.  The  Jews  were  not  idle,  they  hurled 
down  immense  stones  and  every  kind  of  missile 
upon  the  workmen,  which,  although  tliey  did  not  do 
much  damage,  came  thundering  down  over  their 
heads  with  appalling  noise,  and  caused  some  inter- 
ruption to  their  labours. 

Vespasian  brought  out  his  military  engines,  oi 
which  he  had  160,  in  order  to  clear  the  walls  oi 
these  troublesome  assailants.  The  catapults  began 
to  discharge  their  hisshig  javelins,  the  balistas 
heaved  huge  stones  of  enormous  weight ;  the  balls 
of  fire  and  blazing  arrows  fell  in  showers.  The 
Arab  archers,  the  javelin  men,  and  the  slingers,  at 
the  same  time,  plied  their  terrible  weapons,  so  that 
a  considerable  Space  of  the  wall  was  entirely 
cleared:  not  a  man  durst  approach  the  battle- 
ments. But  the  Jews,  who  could  not  fight  from 
above,  began  to  attack  from  below.  They  stole 
out  in  small  bands,  like  robbers,  came  secretly  on 
the  workmen,  pulled  down  their  breastworks,  and 
sta.ck  at  them  as  they  stood  naked  and  without 
their  armour,  which  they  had  pulled  oflf  to  work 
with  greater  activity.  If  the  besiegers  fled,  they 
instantly  demolished  the  embankment,  and  set  fire 
to  the  timbers  and  the  wattles.  Vespasian,  per- 
ceiving that  the  intervals  between  the  different 
breastworks,  under  which  the  separate  parties  were 
labouring,  facilitated  the  attack,  ordered  one  to 
be  '^sried  all  round,  and,  uniting  all  the  working 


DEFENCE    OF    THE    CITY.  53& 

parties,  effectually  prevented  these  destnictive  at- 
tacks. 

The  g-arrisoii  at  length  beheld  this  vast  embank- 
ment completed;  it  almost  reached  to  the  height  of 
their  battlements ;  it  st^^od  toweringf  right  opposite 
to  them,  as  if  anotlier  city  had  arisen  beside  their 
own,  and  from  the  equal  heights  of  their  respective 
walls  they  were  to  join  in  deadly  conflict  for  the 
mastery.  Josephus  hastily  summoned  his  work- 
men and  gave  orders  that  the  city  walls  should  be 
raised  to  a  much  greater  height.  The  workmen 
represented  that  it  was  impossible,  as  long  as  the 
wall  was  thus  commanded  by  the  enemy,  to  carry 
on  their  labour.  Josephus  was  not  baffled ;  he 
ordered  tall  stakes  to  be  driven  on  the  top  of  the 
wall,  upon  which  he  suspended  hides  of  oxen  newly 
killed.  On  this  yielding  curtain  the  stones  fell  dead ; 
the  other  missiles  glided  off  without  damage ;  and 
even  the  fire-darts  were  quenched  by  the  moisture. 
Under  this  covering  his  men  worked  night  and  day 
till  they  had  raised  the  wall  twenty  cubits,  thirty- 
five  feet.  He  likewise  built  a  great  number  of 
towers  on  the  wall,  and  surrounded  the  whole  with 
a  strong  battlement.  The  Romans,  who  thought 
themselves  already  masters  of  the  city,  were  not  a 
little  discouraged,  and  w^ere  astonished  at  the  skill 
and  enterprise  of  the  defenders  ;  but  Vespasian 
was  only  the  more  enraged  at  the  obstinacy  of  the 
garrison,  and  the  subtlety  of  the  commander.  For 
the  defenders,  become  confident  in  the  strength  oi 
their  bulwarks,  began  to  renew  their  former  sallies ; 
they  fought  in  small  bands,  with  the  courage  of 
regular  troops,  and  all  the  tricks  and  cunning  of 
robbers.  Sometimes  they  crept  out  and  carried  oflF 
whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  on ;  sometimes, 
unperceived,  set  fire  to  the  works.  At  length,  Ves- 
pasian determined  to  turn  the  siege  into  a  block- 
ade ;  and,  as  he  could  not  take  the  city  by  assault 
to  reduce  it  by  famine.     For,  in  a  short  time,  the 


S40  HISTORY   OF    THE    JEWS. 

garrison  would  either  desire  to  capitulate,  or,  if  they 
were  still  obstinate  in  their  resistance,  would  perisn 
from  want;  at  all  events,  if  it  was  necessary  to 
renew  the  attack,  their  men  would  be  enfeebled  by 
privation  and  suffering-.  Accordingly,  he  kept  his 
troops  in  their  quarters,  and  contented  himself  with 
strictly  blockading  every  avenue  to  the  city. 

The  besieged  were  very  well  supplied  with  grain, 
and  t  very  other  necessary  excepting  salt :  but  there 
Mas  great  want  of  water.  There  was  no  spring-  in 
tlie  city ;  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  be  con- 
tent with  rain  water.  But  during  the  summer  it 
rarely  if  ever  rains  in  that  region,  and  as  the  sum- 
mer was  the  time  of  the  siege,  they  began  to  be 
dreadfully  dispirited  ;  and  to  look  forward  in  horri- 
ble apprehension  to  the  time  when  their  supply 
would  entirely  fail.  Josephus  commanded  the  water 
which  remained  to  be  rigidly  measured  out.  This 
scanty  doling  out  of  that  necessary  refreshment  to 
men  parched  with  fatigue,  and  many  of  them  fever- 
ish with  wounds,  seemed  worse  even  than  absolute 
privation ;  the  sense  of  want  seemed  to  aggravate 
their  thirst;  and  many  began  to  faint,  as  if  already 
at  the  worst  extremity  of  drought.  The  Romans 
saw  what  was  going  on  witiiin  the  walls ;  and,  as 
the  inhabitants  crept  along  with  their  pitchers  to  a 
particular  spot  to  receive  their  daily  allotment  of 
water,  they  pointed  their  engines  at  them,  and  struck 
them  down  as  they  passed. 

But  the  fertile  mind  of  Josephus  had  not  ex- 
hausted its  store  of  schemes :  he  ordered  a  great 
number  of  his  men  to  steep  their  clothes  in  water 
and  hang  them  up  from  the  battlements,  till  the  wall 
ran  down  with  the  dripping  moisture.  Tlie  Romans 
were  confounded;  for  men  who  cou'd  waste  so  much 
water  out  of  mere  Avantonness,  coald  not  possibly 
be  in  the  wretched  state  of  privation  they  had  hoped. 
Vespasian,  weary  of  thus  blockading  a  city  so  amply 
supplied,  returned  to  the  assault,  the  mode  of  attack 


STRATAGESrs    OF   JOSEPHTTS.  241 

to  wliich  the  Jews  wished  to  drive  him.  For  in 
their  slate  it  was  hotter  to  perish  at  once  by  the 
sword,  than  by  ihirst  and  famine. 

Jospplius  had  another  stratagem  by  which  he  kept 
up  intelligence  with  those  without  the  city.  There 
was  one  narrow  and  rugged  path,  down  the  dry  bed 
of  a  torrent,  wliich  led  into  the  valley  to  the  soutli. 
It  was  so  dangerous  and  seemingly  impracticable, 
that  the  Romans  neglected  to  guard  it.  By  tiii? 
way  the  messengers  of  Josephus  stole  out  of  the 
city,  bearing  letters  to  and  from  the  commander, 
and  every  thing  of  small  bulk  of  which  the  garrison 
stood  in  need.  These  men,  in  general,  crept  out  on 
all  fours,  covered  with  the  skins  of  beasts,  that  they 
might  look  like  dogs.  Tliis  went  on  for  a  long  time, 
till  at  length  the  way  was  detected,  and  closed  up 
by  the  enemy. 

At  this  perilous  juncture  Josephus  honestly  con 
fesses  that  he  began  to  think  of  his  own  personal 
safety;  and  entered  into  deliberation  with  some  of 
the  chief  leaders  of  the  garrison,  as  to  the  means 
of  effecting  their  escape.  Their  counsel  trans- 
pired, and  they  were  environed  by  all  the  people 
of  the  city,  earnestly  entreating  them  not  to  aban- 
don the  wretched  town  to  the  fury  of  the  enraged 
enemy ;  for,  so  long  as  he  and  the  garrison  re- 
mained, there  was  some  hope  of  resistance,  directly 
they  were  gone,  the  city  must  inevitably  fall,  and 
merciless  extermination  was  the  only  fate  which 
they  could  expect.  The  crafty  general  endeavoured 
to  persuade  them,  that  his  only  object  in  leaving 
the  town,  would  be  to  provide  more  effectually  for 
their  safety ;  that  he  would  raise  all  Galilee,  and  so 
harass  the  Romans  as  to  force  them  to  break  up  the 
siege  :  that  his  presence  was  of  no  real  service,  but 
only  made  Vespasian  the  more  obstmate  in  his  de- 
termination to  capture  the  town.  This  language 
only  the  more  inflamed  the  multitude;  the  women 
with  their  infants  in  their  arms  began  to  wail,  boys 

r.— T 


242  HISTORY   OF  THE   JEW* 

and  old  men  fell  at  his  feet,  and  embracing  them, 
b'snught  him  to  remain  and  share  their  fate.  "  Not,** 
Josephus  adds,  "from  any  jealousy  lest  I  should 
save  my  life,  while  theirs  were  in  danger,  but  be- 
cause they  entertained  some  hope  of  saving  their 
own  through  my  means.  As  long  as  I  remained, 
tliey  WC'C  safe." 

Partly  moved  by  compassion,  partly  feeling  that 
if  he  did  not  consent  to  their  entreaties,  he  might  be 
detained  by  force,  Josephus  determined  to  stand 
firm  at  his  post,  and  seized  the  moment  of  excite- 
ment, to  lead  his  force  to  a  desperate  attack.  "  If 
then,"  he  exclaimed,  "  there  is  no  hope  of  safety, 
let  us  die  nobly,  and  leave  a  glorious  example  to 
posterity."  The  bravest  crowded  round  him,  and 
some  rushed  suddenly  forth,  drove  in  the  Roman 
guard,  and  carried  their  inroads  even  into  the  camp ; 
they  tore  up  the  hides  with  which  they  had  defended 
tlieir  works,  and  set  fire  to  the  lines  in  many  places. 
A  second  and  third  day  tliey  continued  these  furious 
attacks ;  and  for  many  nights  and  days  kept  up, 
without  being  wearied,  a  perpetual  alarm. 

Vespasian  found  the  heavy  armed  Legionaries  ill- 
suited  to  this  desultory  warfare ;  from  the  unwieldy 
weight  of  their  armour  they  could  not,  from  their 
pride  they  would  not,  retreat :  and,  when  they 
turned  again  in  any  force,  the  light-armed  Jews  in 
an  instant  disappeared  within  their  walls.  Besides, 
the  valour  of  the  Jews  was  mere  desperation,  like 
a  fierce  fire,  if  unresisted  it  would  burn  out.  He 
ordered  therefore  the  regular  troops  to  decline  these 
attacks,  and  to  repel  the  sallies  of  the  besieged 
with  tlie  Arabian  anthers,  and  Syrian  slingers.  The 
engines  in  the  mean  time  never  ceased  discharging 
their  showers  of  bolts  and  stones ;  these  sorely 
distressed  the  Jews,  but  sometimes  getting  under 
the  range  of  the  engines,  they  fiercely  attacked  the 
Romans,  never  sparing  their  lives,  and  new  troops 


THE  BATTERING  RAM  ADVANCED      243 

continually  filling  up  the  plates  of  those  who  were 
fatigued  or  slain. 

The  Roman  general  found  that  he  was,  as  it  were, 
besieged  in  his  turn ;  and  as  the  embankment  had 
now  reached  close  to  the  wall,  he  ordered  the  bat- 
tering ram  to  be  advanced.  This  was  the  most  for- 
midable of  all  the  besieging  artillery,  used  in  ancient 
warfare.  It  was  an  immense  beam,  headed  with 
iron,  in  the  shape  of  a  ram's  head,  from  whence  it 
took  its  name;  it  was  suspended  by  cables  from 
another  beam,  which  was  supported  by  strong  tall 
posts ;  it  was  drawn  back,  by  a  great  number  of 
men,  and  then  driven  forward  with  so  tremendous 
a  recoil,  that  tower  or  wall  could  scarcely  ever 
resist  the  shock,  and  the  Romans  were  accustomed 
to  see  the  bulwarks  of  the  strongest  cities  crumble 
as  it  were  to  dust,  the  instant  they  could  bring  that 
irresistible  machine  to  work.  As  the  heavy  ram 
slowly  advanced  towards  the  walls,  covered  with  a 
penthouse  of  wattles  and  hides,  both  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  engine  and  of  the  men  who  were  to 
work  it,  the  catapults  and  other  engines,  with  the 
archers  and  slingers,  were  commanded  to  play  with 
increasing  activity,  to  sweep  the  walls,  and  distract 
the  besieged.  The  battlements  were  entirely  cleared 
of  the  defenders,  Avho  lay  crouching  below,  not 
knowing  what  was  about  to  happen.  At  the  first 
blow  of  the  ram  the  wall  shook  as  with  an  earth- 
quake, and  a  wild  cry  rose  from  the  besieged,  as  if 
the  city  were  already  taken. 

Tlie  engine  went  on  battering  at  the  same  place, 
shock  after  shock :  the  wall  already  began  to  totter 
and  crumble,  when  Josephus  thought  of  a  new  ex- 
pedient. He  ordered  a  number  of  sacks  to  be  filled 
w  ith  straw,  and  let  down  by  ropes  from  the  walls, 
xo  catch  the  hard  blows  of  the  ram,  wherever  it 
might  strike.  The  Romans  were  perplexed,  for 
their  blows  fell  dead  on  this  soft  and  yielding  sub- 
stance :  anvl  in  their  turn  they  fastened  the  blades 


244  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEAVS. 

of  scythes  on  long  poles  and  cut  asunder  the  ropea 
which  held  the  sacks.  Then  the  engine  again  began, 
without  interruption,  its  work,  when  behold  the 
Jews  suddenly  broke  forth  in  three  parties.  They 
bore  in  their  hands  all  the  lighted  combustibles  they 
could  find,  they  swept  every  thing  before  them,  and 
set  fire  to  the  engines,  the  wattles,  and  the  pallisa- 
does  of  the  besiegers.  The  Romans,  confounded 
with  this  unexpected  daring,  and  blinded  by  the  fire 
and  smoke  driving  in  their  faces,  made  less  coura- 
geous defence  than  usual.  The  timbers  of  the  em- 
bankment were  all  dry,  a  great  quantity  of  bitumen, 
pitch,  and  even  sulphur  had  been  used  as  cement. 
The  conflagration  spread  with  the  greatest  rapidity, 
and  thus  one  hour  destroyed  tlie  labours  of  many 
days. 

The  daring  exploit  of  one  man  among  the  Jews, 
met  with  universal  admiration ;  he  was  a  Galilean 
of  Saab,  named  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Samaes.  With 
an  immense  stone  from  the  wall,  he  took  such  a 
steady  aim,  that  he  struck  off  the  iron  head  of  the 
battering  ram ;  he  then  leaped  down  from  the  wall, 
secured  his  prize,  and  was  bearing  it  back  to  the 
city.  He  was  unarmed,  and  all  the  darts  and  arrows 
of  the  enemy  were  discharged  at  him.  He  was 
transfixed  by  five  arrows ;  still  however  he  pressed 
on,  regained  the  walls,  stood  boldly  up  displaying 
his  trophy,  in  the  sight  of  all — and  then,  still  clinging 
to  it  with  convulsive  hands,  fell  down  and  expired. 
Two  other  Galileans,  Netiras  and  Philip  of  Ruma, 
greatly  distinguished  themselves,  breaking  through 
the  ranks  of  tlie  tenth  legion,  and  driving  in  all  who 
opposed  them. 

Josephus  and  the  rest  followed  this  heroic  exam- 
ple, and  all  the  engines  and  the  breast-work  of  the 
fifth  and  of  the  tenth  legions  which  were  driven  in, 
were  entirely  consumed.  Others  followed  the  first 
rank  of  the  assailants,  and  heaped  the  earth  ov»i 
what  was  destroyed,  as  fast  as  they  could. 


VESPASIAN    WOUNDED.  245 

Still,  towards  the  evening,  the  Romans  again  set 
••pthe  ram,  and  bet'-an  to  batter  the  wall  at  the  same 
place.  But  while  Vespasian  himself  was  directing 
the  assault,  he  was  wounded  in  the  heel  bj-  a  javelin 
from  the  wall,  slightly  indeed,  for  the  javelin  was 
spent;  but  the  greatest  alarm  spread  th;ou<4h  the 
army.  Many  gave  up  the  attack  to  crowd  around 
the  general,  who  was  bleeding.  Titus  showed  the 
most  affectionate  solicitude ;  but  Vespasian,  sup- 
pressing the  pain  of  his  wound,  speedily  relieved 
their  fears  ;  and,  to  revenge  the  hurt  of  their  com- 
mander, the  whole  army  rushed  on  with  a  loud 
shout  to  the  walls:  all  that  night  the  awful  conflict 
lasted.  The  Jews  fell  in  great  numbers  ;  for  though 
the  missiles  poured  around  them  like  hail,  they  would 
not  abandon  the  walls,  but  continued  heaving  down 
great  stones,  and  flinging  fiery  combustibles  on  the 
wattles  which  protected  those  that  worked  the  ram. 
They  fought  at  disadvantage,  for  the  light  of  their 
own  fires  made  the  Avails  as  light  as  day,  and  the 
enemy  were  thus  enabled  to  take  steady  aim,  while 
the  black  engines  lay  in  shadow  in  the  distance,  and 
they  could  not  distinguish  when  the  bolts  were 
about  to  be  discharged.  The  scorpions  and  cata- 
pults raged  more  and  more  fiercely,  and  swept  the 
walls ;  the  stones  from  the  other  engines  shattered 
the  pinnacles  and  the  corners  of  the  turrets,  which 
kept  falling  with  a  fearful  crash.  The  stones  pene- 
trated right  through  dense  masses  of  men,  making 
as  it  were  a  furrow  as  they  passed,  and  reaching  to 
the  rearmost  man.  Strange  stories  are  reported  of 
the  force  of  these  engines — one  man  was  struck  on 
the  head,  and  his  skull  hurled,  as  by  a  sling,  to  the 
distance  of  three  stadia,  about  three  furlongs :  a 
pregnant  woman  was  hit  in  the  lower  part,  and  the 
child  cast  to  the  distance  of  half  a  stadium.  It  was 
a  night  of  unexampled  confusion.  The  clattering 
of  the  i»olts,  the  shouts  of  the  army,  the  heavy  fall 
'if  tne  hug^e  stones,  the  thundering  shocks  of  the 


t'l5  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

battering  ram,  were  mingled  with  the  frantic  shrieks 
of  women,  and  the  screams  of  children — the  whole 
space  about  the  walls  was  like  a  pool  of  blood ;  and 
men  could  mount  the  wall  upon  the  bodies  of  their 
slaughtered  friends.  All  this  deafening  din  was 
echoed  back  and  multiplied  by  the  surrounding 
mountains.  Many  fell,  many  more  were  wounded, 
but  till  the  morning  watch  the  wall  stood  firm,  it 
then  yielded;  still  however  those,  who  were  well 
provided  with  defensive  armour,  laboured  with  all 
their  might  to  form  new  buttresses  and  bulwarks, 
wherever  a  breach  M'as  threatened,  before  the  ma- 
chines, by  which  the  enemy  were  to  mount  the 
breach,  could  be  advanced. 

Towards  the  morning  Vespasian  allowed  his 
troops  a  short  time  for  refreshment.  In  order  to 
repel  the  besieged  from  the  breach,  he  made  the 
bravest  of  his  horsemen  dismount,  and  divided  them 
into  three  parties.  They  were  completely  cased  in 
armour,  and  had  long  pikes  in  their  hands,  to  be 
ready  to  charge,  instantly  that  the  machines  for 
mounting  the  breach  were  fixed.  Behind  these  he 
stationed  the  flower  of  the  infantry.  The  rest  of  the 
horse  were  extended  all  over  the  mountains,  which 
encircled  the  town,  that  none  might  make  their 
escape:  behind  the  foot  were  the  archers,  the 
slingers  and  engineers ;  and  others  with  scaling  lad- 
ders, which  were  to  be  applied  to  the  part  of  the 
walls,  which  were  yet  uninjured,  to  call  off  the 
attention  of  the  defenders  from  the  breach.  When 
Josephus  discovered  this,  he  selected  the  old,  the 
nifirm,  the  fatigued,  and  the  wounded  to  defend 
those  parts  of  the  wall.  The  bravest  he  chose  to 
man  the  breach ;  six,  of  whom  himself  was  one, 
formed  the  first  line.  He  addressed  them  in  a  few 
words,  enjoining  them  not  to  be  alarmed  at  the 
shout  of  the  legionaries ;  to  kneel  down  s(hd  cover 
their  heads  with  their  bucklers,  and  retreat  a  little, 
till  the  bowmen  had  exhausted  their  quivers ;  when 


stormi.no  and  defence.  247 

the  Romans  had  fixed  the  mounting  machines  to 
leap  down  and  fight  upon  tliem,  reiuembering  th-.it 
they  could  now  scarcely  be  thought  to  fight  for 
safety,  for  of  that  they  had  no  hope,  but  for  a  brave 
reveiige  :  finally,  to  set  before  their  eyes  their 
fathers  and  children  massacred,  their  wives  defiled, 
and  anticipate  a  just  vengeance  for  these,  now  in- 
evitable, calamities. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  idle  multitude,  with 
the  women  and  children,  saw  the  city  still  sur- 
rounded by  triple  lines,  for  the  Romans  did  not 
withdraw  any  part  of  their  guards  for  the  approach- 
ing conflict — the  appalling  force  standing  with  their 
drawn  swords  before  the  breach — the  whole  moun- 
tain gleaming  with  the  lances  of  the  cavalry,  and  the 
Arabian  archers  with  their  bows  already  levelled — 
they  were  seized  with  universal  consternation;  one 
shrill  and  agonizing  shriek  ran  through  the  whole 
city,  as  if  the  horrors  of  the  capture  were  not  only 
dre'aded,  but  actually  begun,  Josephus,  lest  they 
should  dispirit  his  men,  ordered  all  the  women  to  be 
locked  up  in  the  houses,  and  threatened  the  rest  with 
exemplary  punishment  if  they  raised  any  disturb- 
aiice.  He  then  took  his  post  in  the  breach.  At 
once  the  trumpets  of  the  legions  sounded,  and  the 
whole  Roman  host  raised  one  terrific  shout.  At 
that  instant  the  sun  was  darkened  with  the  clouds 
of  arrows.  The  Jews  closed  tlieir  ears  to  the  noise, 
and,  shrouded  under  their  bucklers,  avoided  the 
arrows.  The  moment  that  the  mounting  engines 
were  fixed,  the  Jews  were  upon  them  before  the 
assailants,  fighting  hand  to  hand  with  the  most  re- 
solute courage ;  till  at  length  the  Romans,  who 
could  continually  pour  new  troops  upon  them,  while 
the  besieged  had  none  to  supply  their  place  when 
weary,  formed  a  solid  phalanx,  and  moving  on  as 
jne  maii^  drove  back  the  Galileans,  and  were  already 
jvithin  the  walls.  Still  Josephus  had  a  last  expe- 
tJient.     He  had  prepared  an  immense  quantity  of 


248  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS. 

boiling  oil,  and  at  a  signal,  this  was  poured  down, 
vessels  and  all,  which  Inirst  with  the  heat  upon  the 
ascending  phalanx.  The  ranks  were  broken,  and 
the  men  rolled  down,  writhing  with  agony ;  for  the 
boiling  oil,  which  kindles  easily  and  cools  slowly, 
trickled  within  their  armour.  They  had  not  time  to 
tear  off  their  breastplates  and  bucklers  before  it  had 
penetrated  to  the  skin ;  but  they  leaped  about  and 
writhed  with  anguish,  or  plunged  headlong  from  the 
bridges ;  or  if  they  attempted  to  fly,  were  pierced 
through  their  backs,  the  only  part  which  was  with- 
out defensive  armour.  Yet  the  steady  courage  of 
the  Romans  was  not  thus  to  be  repelled.  However 
those  behind  might  pity  their  suffering  companions, 
they  still  pressed  forward,  and  sternly  rebuked  them 
for  standing  in  their  way,  and  for  impeding  braver 
men  in  the  performance  of  their  duty.  But  the 
Jews  had  still  another  stratagem.  They  poured 
boiled  fenugreek,  a  kind  of  herb,  upon  the  planks, 
on  which  the  enemy  were  mounting  the  breach,  and 
made  them  so  slippery,  that  no  one  could  gain  a 
firm  footing,  either  to  ascend  or  retreat.  Some  fell 
on  their  faces,  and  were  trampled  down  by  those 
who  followed;  others  rolled  back  upon  the  em- 
bankment.  The  Jews  struck  at  them  as  they  lay 
and  grovelled  ;  or,  the  close  combat  being  thus  in- 
terrupted, discharged  their  javelins,  and  heaped  darts 
and  stones  upon  them.  At  length,  about  the  even- 
ing, the  general  recalled  his  worsted  men,  with  con 
siderable  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  Those  of 
Jotapata  lost  six  killed,  and  three  hundred  wounded. 
Vespasian  found  his  troops  rather  exasperated 
than  disheartened  by  this  obstinate  resistance  ;  but 
yet  it  was  necessary  to  proceed  by  more  slow  and 
cautious  approaches.  He  gave  orders  that  the  em- 
bankment should  be  raised  considerally ;  and  that 
fifty  towers  should  be  built  upon  it,  strongly  girded 
with  iron,  both  that  the  weight  might  make  them 
inore  firm,  and  to  secure  them  ajsamst  Are.    In  these 


PALL  OF  JAPHA. 


249 


he  placed  his  javelin-men,  his  slinjorers,  and  archers, 
and  the  lighter  eng-iiies  for  tin;  discFiarge  of  missiles. 
Tliese,  benig  concealed  by  the  height  and  the  breast- 
works of  their  towers,  might  take  deliberate  aim  at 
all  who  appeared  upon  the  walls.  This  was  a  fatal 
measure  to  the  Jews.  The  darts  and  arrows  came 
pouring  from  above,  so  tliat  they  could  not  shift  and 
avoid  them.  They  could  have  no  revenge  against 
these  invisible  foes ;  for  their  own  arrows  could  not 
reach  to  the  height  of  the  towers,  and  the  towers, 
oeing  solid  and  compact  with  iron,  could  not  be  set 
on  fire.  All  they  could  do  was  to  abandon  their 
walls,  and,  when  any  party  approached,  make  a  rapid 
and  desperate  saliy  to  beat  them  off.  Thus  their 
own  loss  was  considerable — that  of  the  Romans  very 
slight.  Still,  however,  they  kept  up  a  manful  re- 
sistance, and  constantly  repelled  the  enemy  from 
the  walls. 

But  now  the  fall  of  a  neighbouring  city  was  a 
dreadful  omen, and  a  warning  of  their  own  approach- 
ing fate,  to  the  defenders  of  Jotapata.  A  city  called 
Japha,  at  no  great  distance,  imboldened  by  the 
vigorous  defence  of  Jotapata,  closed  its  gates  against 
the  Romans.  Vespasian  detached  Trajan,  by  some 
supposed  to  have  been  the  father  of  the  emperor, 
with  2,000  foot  and  1,000  horse,  to  reduce  the  place. 
The  city  was  strongly  situated,  and  surrounded  by 
a  double  wall.  The  men  of  Japha  came  boldly  forth 
to  meet  the  enemy;  but  this  hardihood  was  their 
ruin.  They  were  repulsed,  and  chased  to  the  walls. 
The  pursuers  and  pursued  entered  pell-mell  within 
the  outer  gates.  Those  who  defended  the  inner  wall 
instantly  closed  their  gates,  and  shut  out  the  flower 
of  their  own  garrison  as  well  as  the  enemy.  Tlie 
fugitives,  hotly  pursued,  were  cooped  up  between 
the  txro  walls,  and  mowed  down  with  horrible  car- 
nage They  rushed  to  the  gates,  called  upon  their 
fellow  citizens  by  name,  and  entreated  them  to  open 
and  let  them  in — but  in  vain;  to  admit  them  was  to 

II.— U 


250  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.        [Junc  25 

admit  the  conquering  enemy.  Totally  disheartened, 
not  only  by  the  terror  of  the  foe,  but  by  the  apparent 
treachery  of  their  friends,  they  had  no  courage  to 
■resist ;  but  either  stood  still  to  be  tamely  butchered, 
reproaching,  as  it  were,  those  who  looked  down 
from  the  walls  with  their  miserable  end — or  in  des- 
perate frenzy,  rushed  on  each  other's  swords,  or  fell 
upon  their  own.  And  so  they  died,  execrating  their 
fellow-citizens  rather  than  the  enemy.  In  the  flight 
and  in  the  suburb  12,000  perished ;  and  those  who 
had  thus,  either  out  of  panic  or  miscalculating  pru- 
dence, betrayed  their  fellow-citizens,  obtained  only 
a  brief  respite  ;  for  Trajan,  rightly  concluding  that 
the  garrison  must  be  greatly  enfeebled  by  this  loss, 
formed  the  blockade  of  the  city — and  with  courtier- 
like  reserve,  as  if  he  already  anticipated  the  imperial 
destiny  of  the  Flavian  family,  sent  despatches  to 
Vespasian  to  request  that  his  son  Titus  might  be 
detached  to  complete  tlie  victory.  Titus  speedily 
arrived  with  1,000  foot,  and  500  horse.  He  took  the 
command,  and  placing  Trajan  at  the  head  of  the  left 
wing,  and  himself  leading  the  right,  gave  orders 
for  a  general  assault.  No  sooner  had  the  soldiers 
fixed  the  scaling-ladders,  than  the  Galileans,  after  a 
feeble  resistance,  abandoned  the  walls.  Titus  and 
his  soldiers  leaped  down  into  the  city,  and,  the  Gali- 
leans rallying,  a  furious  conflict  ensued ;  for  the  citi- 
zens blocked  up  the  narrow  streets  and  lanes,  and 
fought  desperately,  while  the  women,  from  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  hurled  down  every  thing  on  which 
tliey  could  lay  their  hands.  The  battle  lasted  for  six 
hours,  when  all  who  could  bear  arms  were  slain; 
and  the  rest,  old  and  young — part  in  the  public 
streets,  part  in  the  houses — were  indiscriminately 
put  to  the  sword.  The  women  alone  and  infants 
were  reserved  as  slaves :  15,000  were  killed,  2,130 
taken. 

It  is  remarkable  t1iat  the  Samaritans,  who  ar*» 
s^enerally  accused  bv  the  Jews  as  disclaiming  the;* 


June  27.]    SLAroHXER  on  mount  GEraziM.      251 

kindred  in  every  period  of  danger,  made  common 
cause  in  this  insurrection.  Roman  oppression  must 
indeed  have  weighed  heavily,  if  the  indignation  it 
excited  could  overpower  the  rooted  animosity  of 
Samaritan  and  Jew,  and  set  them  in  arms  together 
against  the  same  enemy.  The  Samaritans  had  not 
openly  joined  the  revolt,  but  stood  prepared,  with  a 
great  force,  on  the  sacred  mountain  of  Gerizim — for 
most  of  their  strong  cities  were  garrisoned  by  the 
Romans.  Vespasian  determmed  to  anticipate  and 
suppress  the  insurrectionary  spirit  which  was  mani- 
festly brooding  in  the  whole  region.  Cerealis  was 
sent  witli  600  horse  and  3,000  infantry,  who  sud- 
denly surrounded  tlie  foot  of  the  mountain.  It  was 
the  height  of  summer,  and  the  Samaritans,  who  had 
laid  in  no  provision,  suffered  grievously  from  the 
want  of  water  :  some  actually  died  of  thirst;  others 
deserted  to  the  Romans.  As  soon  as  Cerealis  sup- 
posed that  they  were  sufficiently  enfeebled,  he  gra- 
dually drew  his  forces  up  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
enclosing  them  in  a  narrower  compass,  as  in  the  toils 
of  a  skilful  hunter.  He  then  sent  to  them  to  throw 
down  their  arms,  and  promised  a  general  amnesty. 
On  their  refusal,  he  charged  them  with  irresistible 
fury,  and  slew  the  whole,  to  the  number  of  11,600. 

And  now  the  end  of  Jotapata  drew  near.  For 
forty-seven  days  its  gallant  inhabitants  had  resisted 
all  the  discipline  and  courage  f  the  whole  Roman 
army,  under  their  most  skilful  general ;  they  had 
confronted  bravery  with  bravery,  and  stratagem  with 
stratagem.  They  were  now  worn  out  with  watch- 
ing, and  fatigues,  and  wounds,  and  thirst.  Their 
ranks  were  dreadfully  thinned,  and  the  over-wearied 
survivors  had  to  fight  all  day  and  watch  all  night. 
A  deserter  found  his  way  to  the  camp  of  Vespasian, 
and  gave  intelligence  of  the  eufc^bled  state  of  the 
garrison,  urging  him  to  make  an  as.-jault  at  the  early 
dawn  of  morning,  when  the  sentinels  were  apt  to 
be  found  sleeping  on  their  posts.     Vespasian  sus 


252  HISTOEV  OF  THH  JEWS. 

pected  the  traitcr,  for  nothing  had  been  more  striking 
during  the  siege  than  the  fidehty  of  the  Jews  to 
their  cause.  One  man  who  had  been  taken  had  en- 
dured the  most  horrible  torments,  and,  though  burnt 
in  many  parts  of  his  body,  steadily  refused  to  betray 
the  state  of  the  town,  till  at  length  he  was  crucified. 
Still  the  story  bore  marks  of  probability ;  and  Ves- 
fjasian,  thinking  that  no  stratagem  could  inflict 
,reat  injury  on  his  powerful  army,  prepared  for  the 
assault. 

A  thick  morning  mist  enveloped  the  whole  city,  as 
ut  the  appointed  hour  the  Romans,  with  silent  step, 
approached  the  walls.  Titus  was  the  first  to  mount, 
with  Domitius  Sabinus,  a  tribune,  and  a  few  soldiers 
of  the  fifteenth  legion.  They  killed  the  sentinels, 
and  stole  quietly  down  into  the  citj^.  Sextus  Ce- 
realis  and  Placidus  followed  with  their  troops.  The 
citadel  was  sur]irised :  it  was  broad  day,  yet  the 
besieged,  in  the  heavy  sleep  of  fatigue,  had  not  dis- 
covered that  the  enemy  were  within  the  walls;  and 
even  now,  those  who  awoke  saw  nothing  through 
the  dim  and  blinding  mist.  But  by  this  time  the 
whole  army  was  within  the  gates,  and  they  were 
awakened  to  a  horrible  sense  of  their  situation,  by 
the  commencement  of  the  slaughter.  The  Romans 
remembered  what  they  had  suffered  during  the  siege, 
and  it  was  not  a  time  when  mercy  and  compassion, 
foreign  to  their  usual  character,  could  arrest  the  arm 
of  vengeance.  They  charged  furiously  down  from 
the  citadel,  hewing  their  way  through  the  multitude, 
who,  unable  to  defend  themselves,  stumbled  and 
were  crushed  in  the  uneven  ways ;  or  were  suffo- 
cated in  the  narrow  lanes,  or  rolled  headlong  down 
the  precipices.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  slaugh- 
ter ;  nothing  heard  but  the  shrieks  of  the  dying  and 
the  shouts  of  the  conquerors.  A  few  of  the  most 
hardy  had  gathered  round  Josephus,  and  mutually 
exhorted  each  other  to  self-destruction.  As  they 
could  not  slay  the  enemy,  they  would  ni)t  be  tamely 


July  l.J  TAKIN(;  OF  JOTAPATA.  253 

slain  by  them.  A  great  number  fell  by  each  other's 
hands.  A  few  of  the  guard,  who  had  been  at  first 
surprised,  fled  to  a  tower  on  the  northern  part  of 
the  wall,  and  made  some  resistan(^e.  At  length  they 
were  surrounded,  and  gave  themselves  up  to  be 
quietly  butchered.  The  Romans  might  have  boasted 
that  tliey  had  taken  the  city  without  the  loss  of  a 
man,  had  not  a  centurion,  named  Antonius,  been 
slain  by  stratagem.  There  were  a  great  number  of 
deep  caverns  under  the  city,  in  which  many  took 
refuge  ;  one  of  these,  being  hotly  pursued,  entreated 
Antonius  to  reach  his  hand  to  him,  as  a  pledge  of 
accepting  his  surrender,  as  well  as  to  help  him  to 
clamber  out.  The  incautious  Roman  stretched  out 
his  hand,  the  Jew  instantly  pierced  him  in  the  groin 
with  a  lance,  and  killed  him. 

That  day  all  were  put  tt)  the  sword  who  appeared 
m  the  streets  or  houses;  the  next,  the  conquerors 
set  themselves  to  search  the  caverns  and  under- 
ground passages,  still  slaughtering  all  the  men,  and 
sparing  none  but  infants  and  women  :  1200  captives 
were  taken.  During  the  siege  and  capture  40,000 
men  fell.  Vespasian  gave  orders  that  the  city  should 
be  razed  to  the  ground,  and  all  the  defences  burnt. 
Thus  fell  Jotapata,  on  the  first  day  of  Panemus 
(July). 

But  among  all  the  dead  the  Romans  searched  in 
vain  for  the  body  of  their  obstinate  and  subtle 
enemy,  Josephus.  Vespasian  himself  expressed 
great  anxiety  for  his  capture,  but  all  their  search 
was  bafl[led;  and  they  began  to  fear  that  the  wily 
chieftain  had,  after  all,  withdrawn  himself  from 
their  vengeance.  During  the  confusion  of  the  mas- 
sacre, Josephus  had  leaped  down  the  shaft  of  a  dry 
well,  from  the  bottom  of  which  a  long  cavern  led 
off,  entirely  concealed  from  the  sight  of  those  above. 
There  Josephus  unexpectedly  found  himself  among 
forty  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  Jotapata, 
who  had  made  this  their  liiding  place,  an^i  furnished 


Jii4  HISTOKY  OF  THE  JEWS.         fA.C.  b7 

it  with  provisions  for  several  days.  He  lay  hid  all 
tho  day,  while  the  enemy  were  prowling  about,  and 
at  night  crept  out  and  endeavoured  to  find  some  way 
of  escape  from  the  city;  but  the  R^man  guards  were 
too  vigilant,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  his  lair. 
Two  days  he  remained  without  detection,  on  the 
third,  a  woman  who  had  been  with  those  within  the 
cavern,  being  captured,  betrayed  the  secret.  Ves- 
pasian immediately  despatched  two  tribunes,  Pauli- 
nus  and  Gallicanus,  to  induce  Josephus,  by  a  pro- 
mise of  his  life,  to  surrender.  Josephus,  while  he 
lay  quiet  in  his  cavern,  was  suddenly  startled  by 
hearing  himself  called  on  by  name.  It  was  the 
voice  of  the  tribune,  with  the  message  of  Vespa- 
sian. But  Josephus  had  no  great  confidence  in 
Roman  mercy,  and  refused  to  come  forth,  till  Ves- 
pasian sent  another  tribune,  Nicanor,  with  whom 
he  had  been  well  acquainted.  Nicanor  stood  at  the 
mouth  of  the  well,  and  enlarged  on  the  natural 
generosity  of  the  Romans,  and  their  admiration  of 
so  gallant  an  enemy ;  he  assured  the  suspicious 
Josephus,  that  Vespasian  had  no  intention  against 
his  life,  but  was  anxious  to  save  a  man  who  had  dis- 
played such  noble  self-devotion ;  and,  strongly  urged 
that  his  delay  would  be  of  little  use,  as  they  might 
easily  take  him  by  force.  He  even  added,  that  Ves- 
pasian would  not  have  employed  the  friend  of  Jose- 
phus on  such  a  mission,  if  he  had  any  secret  or 
treacherous  design. 

The  Roman  soldiers  Avould  have  settled  the  affair 
in  a  much  more  summary  manner:  they  were,  with 
difficulty,  restrained  by  their  commander  from  throw- 
ing fire  into  the  cavern,  which  would  either  have 
>  uffocated  those  within,  or  forced  them  to  make  their 
way  out.  At  this  moment  Josephus  remembered 
his  dream,  which  had  so  precisely  foretold  all  the 
calamities  of  the  Jews,  and  all  which  was  to  happen 
to  the  future  emperor  of  Rome.  Now,  Josepnus 
was  an  adept  in  the  interpretation  of  dreauu ;  as  a 


SPEECH  OF  JOSEPHUS.  266 

pHest  he  had  deeply  studied  the  prophecies  of  the 
Holy  Books.  He  was  suddenly,  and  doubtless, 
most  opportunely,  seized  with  divine  inspiration, 
which  inwardly  assured  him,  that  it  was  the  will  of 
Heaven  that  his  country  should  fall,  and  Rome 
triumph,  and  he  himself  save  his  life.  So,  if  he 
passed  over  to  the  Roman  party,  he  would  do  so, 
not  as  a  renegade,  but  as  an  obedient  servant  of  God. 
Saying;  this  withm  himself,  he  consented  to  the 
terms  of  Nicanor.  But,  unhappily,  a  new  difficulty 
occurred.  However  satisfactory  to  his  own  con- 
science this  determination  of  humbly  submitting  to 
the  will  of  God,  the  companions  of  Josephus  were 
not  religious  enough  to  enter  into  his  motives.  They 
reproaclied  him  with  the  vulgar  desire  of  saving  his 
life,  and  of  cowardly  defection  from  the  laws  of  his 
country.  They  reminded  him  of  his  own  eloquent 
exhortations  to  despise  death  in  such  a  noble  cause ; 
exhortations  with  which  so  many  had  generously 
complied.  They  intimated  somewhat  plainly,  that 
they  would  assist  his  failing  patriotism,  and  enable 
him  to  obtain  all  the  honours  of  martyrdom ;  in 
short,  that  their  hands  and  swords  were  ready  to 
enable  him  to  die,  not  as  a  renegade,  but  as  the 
chieftain  of  the  Jews.  At  the  same  time  they 
showed  their  zealous  mterest  in  his  character  by 
surrounding  him  with  drawn  swords,  and  threaten- 
ing to  put  him  to  death  if  he  stirred.  Josephus  was 
in  great  embarrassment,  for  he  felt  that  it  would  be 
impious  resistance  to  the  will  of  God,  if  he  sho^ild 
thus  submit  to  die.  He  began  (in  his  own  words) 
to  philosophize  to  them.  It  is  not  very  probable, 
that  at  this  perilous  instant,  Josephus  should  have 
the  self-command  to  make,  or  his  fierce  assailants 
the  patience  to  listen  to,  a  long  set  speech ;  but  his 
oration,  as  it  stands  in  the  hisiory,  is  so  curious, 
that  we  must  insert  the  chief  topics  on  which  he 
dwelt.  "  Why,  my  friends,"  he  began,  "  should  we 
be  so  eager  for  self-murder  1   why  should  we  aepa* 


266  HISTORY   OP    THE    JEWS. 

rate  associates  so  dear  to  each  other  as  the  soul  and 
body.  It  is  noble  to  die  in  war,  true ;  but  according 
to  the  legitimate  usag-e  of  war,  by  the  sword  of  the 
enemy.  If  I  had  supplicated  for  mercy,  I  should 
have  deserved  to  die,  but  if  the  Romans  freely  ofter 
to  spare  us,  why  should  we  not  spare  ourselves  ? 
For  what  have  we  been  fighting  all  this  time  1 — to 
save  our  lives ;  and  now  we  are  to  be  such  fools  as 
to  throw  our  lives  away.  It  is  noble,  indeed,  to  die 
for  our  liberty,  yes,  in  battle : — that  man  is  equally 
a  coward  who  fears  to  die  when  death  is  necessary, 
and  he  who  chooses  to  die  when  there  is  no  neces- 
sity. Why  do  we  refuse  to  surrender  1  In  fear  lest 
the  Romans  should  kill  us ;  and  therefore  we  would 
kill  ourselves.  In  fear  lest  we  be  made  slaves  1  at 
present,  indeed,  we  enjoy  great  liberty !"  He  then 
entered  at  large  into  the  commonplace  arguments 
against  self-murder ;  the  disgrace  of  abandoning  the 
helm  when  the  bark  is  in  danger ;  the  natural  fond- 
ness of  all  animals  for  life,  and  their  aversion  to 
death ;  above  all,  the  sin  of  throwing  away  the  most 
precious  gift  of  God.  "  Our  bodies  are  mortal,  and 
made  of  perishable  matter ;  but  the  soul  is  immortal, 
as  a  part  of  the  Divinity  it  dwells  within  our  bodies. 
He  is  base  and  treacherous  who  betrays  that  with 
vvliich  he  is  intrusted  by  man,  how  much  moi«  he 
wlio  basely  gives  up  the  precious  trust  which  God 
has  confided  to  him.  We  punish  slaves,  even  if 
they  desert  the  service  of  a  cruel  master,  yet  we 
have  no  scruple  to  desert  the  service  of  a  good  and 
merciful  Deity.  Know  ye  not,  that  those  who  de- 
part this  life  according  to  the  law  of  nature,  and 
pay  the  debt  when  it  is  demanded  by  God,  obtain 
everlasting  glory  1  their  houses  and  families  pros- 
per; their  souls  remain  pure  and  obedient,  and 
pass  away  to  the  holiest  mansions  in  heaven;  from 
whence,  m  the  revolution  of  ages,  they  again  take 
up  their  dwelling  in  pure  bodies.  But  for  those 
who  havf.  madly  lifted  their  hands  against  »Hir  own 


DAI«0£HOUS  SITUATION  OF  JOSKPHUS  257 

Hves,  the  darkest  pit  of  hell  receives  their  souls, 
and  God  avenges  their  crime  upon  their  children's 
children.  Hence  God  and  our  wise  lawgiver  have 
enacted  a  severe  punishment  against  the  suicide 
his  body  is  cast  forth  at  sunset  without  burial ;  the 
guilty  hand,  which  dared  to  separate  the  soul  from 
the  body,  is  cut  off."  (Here  Josephus  seems  to 
have  calculated  on  the  ignorance  of  his  audience 
and  boldly  ingrafted  a  Grecian  superstition  on  the 
Mosaic  law) :  he  concluded  with  protesting  that  he 
had  no  thought  of  deserting  to  the  ranks  of  the 
Romans,  but  that  he  rather  looked  forward  to  their 
putting  liim  to  death,  in  which  case  he  should  die 
gladly,  having  affixed  the  stain  of  the  basest  trea- 
chery on  the  enemy.  But,  unfortunately,  these 
subtle  arguments,  these  sublim:^  doctrines,  and  mag- 
nanimous sentiments,  were  lost  on  the  dull  ears  of 
the  obstinate  Galileans;  they  only  became  more 
enraged ;  they  ran  at  him  with  their  swords ;  they 
reproached  him  with  his  cowardice,  and  every  one 
of  them  stood  ready  to  plunge  his  sword  to  his  heart. 
He  stood,  like  a  wild  beast  at  bay,  constantly  turn- 
ing to  the  man  that  was  rushing  at  him ;  one  he 
called  familiarly  by  his  name ;  another  he  looked 
sternly  at,  as  if  he  were  still  his  commander ;  here 
he  clasped  a  hand,  there  he  entreated ;  at  all  events 
determined  to  save  his  life,  if  possible.  At  length 
nis  distress  so  wrought  upon  them,  that  some  out 
of  respect,  some  out  of  attachment,  perhaps  some 
out  of  contempt,  dropped  their  swords  ;  those  of  not 
a  few,  he  says,  fell  out  of  their  hands,  others  were 
quietly  returned  into  their  sheaths.  The  wily  leader 
marked  his  time,  and  had  a  stratagem  ready  on  the 
instant.  "  If  we  must  die,  then,  let  us  not  die  by 
our  own,  but  by  each  other's  hands.  Let  us  cast 
lots,  and  thus  fall  one  after  another,  for  if  the  rest 
perish,  it  would  be  the  deepest  disgrace  for  me  to 
survive."  They  all  readily  agreed,  thinking  that 
Josephus  would  inevitably  share  their  fate.     How 


268  HISTORY    OF    THE    JEWS 

the  lots  were  cast,  we  are  not  informed,  or  whethei 
among-  his  other  soldierlike  and  noble  Qualities,  the 
worthy.omrriaridfcrimuscnnesKii)  'n«!f':gT.:-Cy:-..aiiu-, 
!jui  a'  so  nappened  fby  good  fortune  or  the  will  of 
Providence)  tnat  they  all,  one  after  another,  as  the 
lots  came  up,  offered  their  breasts  to  the  sword. 
Josephus  found  himself  left,  with  one  other,  to  the 
last.  Not  in  the  least  inclined  that  the  lot  should 
fall  on  himself,  and  with  a  nice  and  scrupulous 
reluctance  to  imbrue  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  a 
fellow-creature,  Josephus  persuaded  this  man  to 
accept  of  the  offered  terms  ;  and  so  they  both  came 
out  tog-ether,  leaving  their  dead  friends  in  the  cavern. 
Nicanor  immediately  led  him  to  Vespasian.  The 
Romans  crowded  from  all  parts  to  see  this  redoubted 
chieftain.  A  great  rush  and  uproar  ensued.  Some 
were  rejoicing  at  his  capture,  others  threatening  him 
with  vengeance ;  all  pressing  forward  to  get  a  sight 
of  him ;  those  who  were  at  a  distance  cried  out  that 
he  should  be  put  to  death;  those  near  him  were 
seized  with  admiration  and  remembrance  ol  his 
noble  actions.  Not  one  of  the  officers,  who  had 
been  most  furious  against  him,  but  inclined  to  mercy 
directly  they  saw  him,  particularly  Titus,  who  was 
struck  with  his  dignified  fortitude,  and  vigour  of 
manhood :  he  was  thirty  years  old  at  the  beginning- 
of  the  war.  The  influence  of  Titus  was  of  great 
weight  with  Vespasian  to  dispose  him  to  lenity  ;  the 
[)risoner  was  ordered  to  be  closely  guarded,  with 
the  design  that  he  might  be  sent  to  Nero  at  Rome. 
Josephus  instantly  demanded  to  be  admitted  to  a 
private  conference  with  Vespasian.  All,  excepting 
Titus  and  two  friends,  retired.  Josephus  assumed 
at  once  the  air  and  language  of  a  prophet :  b  so- 
lemnly protested  that  nothing  would  have  t(  ?npted 
him  to  avoid  the  death  which  became  a  noble  Jew, 
but  the  conviction  th'dt  he  was  a  messenger  of  God, 
to  announce  to  Vespasian  that  he  and  his  son  would 
sneedily  assume  the  imperial  dignity :  "  Send  me 


chakauter  of  josephus.  269 

not  to  Nero :  bind  me.  and  keer.  me  in  fha'^^.  3«^ 
"'Oiii  <•'«/::  priSv^-.o. ,  lur  soon  m'iu  tnou  oe  me  sove- 
reign lord  of  eartli  and  sea,  and  of  the  whole  human 
race."  Vespasian  naturally  mistrusted  the  adroit 
flatterer;  but,  before  long',  permitted  himself  to  be 
fully  persuaded  of  his  prophetic  character.  Josephus 
appealed  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jotapata,  whether  he 
had  not  predicted  the  taking  of  the  city,  and  their 
own  capture  at  the  end  of  forty-seven  days.  The 
captives,  who  could  only  have  been  women,  as  all 
the  men  were  put  to  the  sword,  readily  avouched 
his  stoiy :  and  the  prophet,  though  still  kept  in 
chains,  was  treated  with  great  distinction,  and  re- 
ceived presents  of  raiment  and  other  valuable 
donatives. 

This  is  a  strange  adventure.  It  is  impossible  not 
to  admire  the  dexterity  with  which  the  historian 
extricates  himself  from  all  his  difficulties  of  situa- 
tion, which,  however  highly  coloured,  must  have 
been  one  of  the  greatest  peril.  What  secrets  that 
dark  cavern  may  have  concealed,  can  never  be 
known;  but  we  should  certainly  have  read  with 
deep  interest  the  account  of  these  transactions,  and 
indeed  of  the  whole  Galilean  administration  of  Jo- 
sephus, in  the  work  of  his  rival,  Justus  of  Tiberias, 
unhappily  lost.  But,  after  every  deduction  for  his 
love  of  the  marvellous,  and  the  natural  inclination 
to  paint  higlily  where  he  was  the  hero  of  his  own 
story,  the  valour  and  skill  displayed  in  the  defence 
of  Jotapata,  and  the  singular  address  with  which 
he  insinuated  himself  into  the  favour  of  Vespasian 
and  his  son,  give  a  very  high  Impression  of  the 
abilities  of  Josephus.  As  to  the  sincerity  of  his 
belief  in  his  own  inspiration,  it  would  more  easily 
have  obtained  credit,  if  he  had  displayed  himself, 
on  other  occasions,  either  more  scrupulous  or  less 
addicted  to  stratagem.  The  prediction  itself  was 
far  from  requiring  any  great  degree  of  political 
sagacity.     It  wes  impossible  to  suppose  that  the 


260  HISTORY    OF   THE    JEWS. 

bloody  Nero  would  be  allowed  to  burden  the  throne 
much  longer ;  the  imperial  family  was  all  but  extinct. 
The  empire  would,  in  all  probability,  fall  to  the  lot 
of  the  boldest  and  most  ambitious  of  the  great  mili- 
tary leaders,  among  whom  Vespasian  stood,  if  not 
confessedly  the  first,  yet  certainly  with  few  compe- 
titors, in  the  first  raiiK.  It  was  therefore  no  very 
bold  hazard  to  designate  him  as  the  future  soveitign: 
at  all  events,  and  perhaps  Josephus  looked  no  fur- 
ther, the  prediction  served  his  immediate  turn ;  and, 
if  it  had  not  eventually  proved  true,  yet  the  life  of 
the  prophet  was  secure,  and  his  history,  if  ever 
written,  might  have  preserved  a  prudent  silence 
with  regard  to  a  prediction  which  the  event  had  not 
justified. 

The  progress  of  this  year's  campaign  was  not 
according  to  the  usual  career  of  the  Roman  arms : 
a  powerful  army  had  marched  to  subdue  a  rebel- 
lious and  insignificant  province ;  two  months  had 
nearly  elapsed,  and  they  were  little  beyond  the 
frontier.  Now,  however,  they  proceeded  with 
greater  rapidity.  Vespasian  returned  to  Ptolemais, 
from  whence  he  marched  along  the  coast  to  Csesa- 
rea.  The  Greek  inhabitants  of  that  city  had  now, 
by  the  massacre  of  their  Jewish  competitors,  the 
whole  region  at  their  command.  They  threw  open 
their  gates,  went  forth  to  receive  the  Romans  with 
the  loudest  and  m.ost  sincere  demonstrations  o; 
joy ;  for  their  vengeance  was  not  yet  satiated  with 
Jewish  blood.  They  sent  a  petition  for  the  execu- 
tion of  Josephus ;  but  Vespasian  did  not  condescend 
to  reply.  He  took  possession  cif  Caisarea,  as 
pleasant  winter-quarters,  for  two  of  his  legions; 
for  though  very  hot  in  summer,  the  climate  oi 
Ceesarea  was  genial  in  winter  :  he  fixed  on  Scytho- 
polis  for  the  station  of  the  other  legion,  the  fifteenth. 
Cestius  Cta.lus,  during  his  flight,  had  abandoned 
Joppa.  A  strong  body  of  insurgents  had  collected 
from  all  quarters,  and  taken  iiossession  of  the  towp, 


TAKiwn  nr  JOPPA  ?6"  1 

where  they  had  built  a  ^eai  number  of  barks,  with 
which  they  madfi  piratical  excursions,  and  plundered 
all  the  rich  men-luuit  vessels  which  traded  betweL;n 
Syria,  Phoenicia,  and  Egypt.  Vespasian  sent  a 
considerable  force  against  this  city.  The  troops 
reached  Joppa  by  night ;  and,  the  walls  being  un 
guarded,  entered  at  once.  The  inhabitants  made 
no  resistance,  but  fled  to  their  ships,  ;ind  moored 
for  the  night  out  of  the  reach  of  the  enemies'  darts 
and  arrows.  Joppa  is  a  bad  harbour :  the  shore  is 
steep  and  nigged,  forming  a  kind  of  semicircular 
bay,  the  extreme  headlands  of  which  approach 
each  other.  These  headlands  are  formed  by  pre- 
cipitous rocks  and  breakers,  which  extend  far  into 
the  sea :  when  the  north-wind  blows,  there  is  a 
tremendous  surge,  which  makes  the  port  more  dan 
gerous  than  the  open  sea.  In  the  morning  this 
wind,  called  by  the  sailors  of  Joppa  the  black  north- 
wind,  began  to  blow  furiously :  it  dashed  the  ships 
against  each  other,  or  against  the  rocks.  Some 
endeavoured  to  push  to  sea  against  the  swell ;  for 
they  dreaded  alike  the  lee-shore  breakers  and  the 
enemy :  but  all  these,  unable  to  stem  the  rolling  of 
the  swell,  foundered.  The  rest  the  wind  drove  to- 
wards the  city,  which  the  Romans  would  not  let 
them  enter.  The  shrieks  of  the  men,  the  crashing 
of  the  vessels,  made  an  awful  din :  many  were 
drowned;  many  were  seen  swimming  on  broken 
pieces  of  wreck ;  many,  to  escape  drowning,  fell 
on  their  own  swords.  The  whole  shore  was  strown 
with  mutilated  bodies ;  those  who  struggled  to  the 
beach  were  slain  by  the  Romans :  4200  lives  were 
lost.  The  Romans  razed  the  city,  but  garrisoned 
the  citadel,  lest  it  should  again  become  a  nest  of 
pirates. 

At  first  vague  rumours  of  the  fall  of  Jotapata 
reached  Jerusalem  :  not  a  man  had  escaped  to  bear 
the  fatal  intelligence.  But  bad  tidings  are  apt  to 
travel  fast ;  and,  as  is  usual,  when  the  truth  became 


262  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

knjwn,  it  was  accompanied  with  many  circum- 
stances of  falsehood.  .Tosrphiis  was  said  to  have 
fallen ;  and  all  Jerusalem  united  in  lamenting-  his 
loss :  his  death  was  a  public  calamity.  There  was 
scarcely  a  family  which  had  not  to  deplore  some 
private  affliction ;  they  bewailed  those  who  had  been 
their  guests  (probably  at  the  great  festivals),  or  re- 
lations, or  friends,  or  brothers ;  but  all  deplored 
Josephus.  For  thirty  days,  wailings  were  heard  in 
the  city ;  and  musicians  were  hired  to  perform 
funeral  chants.  When,  however,  the  news  arrived 
that  Josephus  was  not  merely  alive,  but  treated  with 
distinction  by  Vespasian,  sorrow  gave  place  to  the 
fiercest  indignation.  By  some  he  was  called  a 
dastard,  by  others  a  traitor;  his  name  was  exe- 
crated ;  and  to  their  motives  for  fierce  and  obsti- 
nate resistance  to  the  Romans  was  added  an  eager 
desire  to  revenge  themselves  on  the  apostate.  But 
they  were  yet  left  for  some  time  to  exhale  their 
fury  in  words,  and  display  their  bravery,  not  against 
the  enemy,  but  against  each  other. 

Vespasian — whether  his  army  had  been  too  se- 
verely handled  at  Jotapata,  or  whether,  as  is  pos- 
sible, he  wished,  in  case  any  effort  should  be  made 
at  Rome  to  rid  the  world  of  the  tyrant,  to  find  him- 
self at  the  head  of  a  powerful  and  unbroken  force 
— turned  aside  from  the  direct  road  of  victory,  and 
declined  to  advance  upon  the  rebellious  capital. 
He  accepted  the  invitation  of  Agrippa,  who  earnestly 
solicited  his  presence,  in  order  that  he  might  make 
a  splendid  display  of  his  devotion  to  the  Roman 
cause,  and,  by  the  fear  of  the  Roman  anns,  quell 
the  spirit  of  revolt  in  his  own  dominions.  From 
Caesarea  by  the  Sea,  he  passed  to  Caesarea  Philippi, 
where  the  army  reposed  for  twenty  days.  Tarichea 
and  Tiberias,  though  on  the  western  coast  of  the 
Lake  of  Genesareth,  belonged  to  the  dominions  of 
Agrippa.  Evident  symptoms  of  insurrection  ap- 
Deared  in  both  these  cities      Titus  was  ordered  to 


SURRENDER    OF    TIBERIAS.  263 

concentrate  all  the  forces  on  Scythopolis,  which  is 
at  no  great  distance  from  Tiberias  :  there  \'  espasian 
met  liim ;  and  they  advanced  to  a  place  on  an 
eminence,  within  half  a  mile  of  Tiberias,  named 
Sennabris.  From  thence  he  sent  forward  a  decu- 
rion,  named  Valerian,  witli  fifty  horse,  to  exhort  the 
inhabitants  to  surrender;  for  the  people  were  peacea- 
bly disposed,  but  forced  into  war  by  a  small  turbu- 
lent party.  Valerian,  when  he  came  near  the  city, 
dismounted,  that  his  troop  might  not  appear  like  a 
body  of  skirmishers ;  but  before  he  could  utter  a 
word,  the  insurgents,  headed  by  Jesus,  the  son  of 
Saphat,  charged  him  with  great  fury.  Valerian, 
though  he  might  easily  have  dispersed  them,  had  no 
orders  to  figlit ;  and,  astonished  at  the  boldness  of 
the  Jews,  fled  on  foot,  witli  five  of  his  companions. 
The  captured  horses  were  led  m  triumph  into  the 
city.  The  Senate  of  Tiberias  took  the  alarm,  and 
fled  to  the  Roman  camp :  they  entreated  Vespasian 
not  to  act  precipitately  against  a  city  almost  entirely 
disposed  to  the  Roman  interest,  and  not  to  visit  the 
crime  of  a  few  desperate  insurgents  on  the  unof- 
fending people.  Vespasian  had  given  orders  for  the 
plunder  of  the  city ;  but  partly  in  compliance  with 
their  supplication,  partly  from  respect  for  Agrippa, 
who  trembled  for  the  fate  of  one  of  the  fairest  towns 
in  his  dominions,  he  accepted  their  submission, 
rhe  insurgents,  under  Jesus,  fled  to  Tarichea.  The 
people  opened  their  gates,  and  received  the  Romans 
with  acclamations.  As  the  entrance  to  the  city  was 
loo  narrow  for  the  army  to  march  in,  except  in  very 
slender  files,  Vespasian  commanded  part  of  the  wall 
to  be  thrown  down ;  but  he  strictly  prohibited  all 
plunder  or  outrage  against  the  inhabitants ;  and,  at 
the  intervention  of  Agrippa,  left  the  rest  of  the  wall 
Stan.  ling. 

Not  only  the  insurgents  from  Tiberias,  but  fioni 
all  the  adjacent  country,  assembled  in  Tarichea. 
which  likewise  stood,  south  of  Tiberias,  on  the  sb"v 


264  HISTORY    OP   THE    JEWS. 

of  Genesareth.  This  beautiful  lake  has  been  com- 
pared by  travellers  with  that  of  Geneva.  In  those 
days  the  shores  were  crowded  with  opulent  towns, 
which  lay  imbowered  in  the  most  luxuriant 
orchards,  for  which  the  whole  district  was  cele- 
biated.  Such  was  the  temperature  of  the  climate 
that  every  kind  of  fruit-tree  flourished  in  the  hig-hest 
perfection — nuts,  which  usually  grow  in  a  colder 
climate,  with  the  palm  of  the  sultry  desert,  and  the 
fig-  and  olive,  which  require  a  milder  air.  "  Nature," 
says  Josephus,  "  is,  as  it  were,  ambitious  of  bring- 
ing together  the  fruits  of  different  climates,  and 
there  is  a  strife  among  the  seasons  of  the  year,  each 
claiming  this  favoured  country  as  their  own:  for 
not  only  do  fruits  of  every  species  flourish,  but 
continue  to  ripen ;  the  grapes  and  figs  for  ten  months, 
other  kinds  throughout  the  year.  The  water  of  the 
lake  is  remarkably  salubrious,  milder  than  that  of 
fountains,  and  as  cool  as  snow.  It  abounds  in  fish 
of  several  kinds,  peculiar  to  its  waters."  This  lake 
had  been  the  chief  scene  of  the  miracles  and 
preaching  of  Jesus  Christ.  Its  blue  and  quiet 
waters  were  now  to  be  broken  by  other  barks  than 
those  of  the  humble  fishermen  who  spread  their  nets 
upon  its  surface ;  and  to  reflect,  instead  of  the  mul- 
titudes who  listened  to  the  peaceful  teacher,  the 
armour  of  embattled  squadrons  and  the  glittering 
pride  of  the  Roman  eagles.  Tarichea  had  been 
carefully  fortified  by  .tosephus ;  not  indeed  so 
strongly  as  the  more  important  town  of  Tiberias, 
but  still  every  part  that  was  not  washed  by  the  lake 
had  been  surrounded  with  a  strong  wall.  The  in- 
habitants had  a  great  number  of  vessels  in  their 
port,  in  which  they  might  escape  to  the  opposite 
shore,  or,  if  necessary,  fight  for  the  naval  command 
of  the  lake.  The  Romans  pitched  their  camp  under 
the  walls ;  but  while  they  were  commencing  their 
works,  Jesus,  at  the  head  of  the  Tiberians,  made  a 
vigorous  sally,  dispersed  the  workmen,  and  when 


SIEGE    OP   TARICHEA.  265 

the  legionaries  advanced  in  steady  array,  fled  back 
without  loss.  The  Romans  drove  a  »arge  party  to 
their  barks :  the  fugitives  pushed  out  into  the  lake, 
but  still  remained  within  the  range  of  missiles,  cast 
anchor,  and  drawing  up  their  barks,  like  a  phalanx, 
began  a  regular  battle  with  the  enemy  on  the  land. 
Vespasian  heard  that  the  Galileans  were  in  great 
force  on  the  plain  before  the  city.  He  sent  Titus 
with  600  picked  horse  to  disperse  them.  The  num- 
bers were  so  immense  that  Titus  sent  to  demand 
further  succours ;  but  before  they  arrived,  he  deter- 
mined to  charge  the  enemy.  He  addressed  his 
men,  exhorting  them  not  to  be  dismayed  by  num- 
bers, but  to  secure  the  victory  before  their  fellow 
soldiers  could  come  up  to  share  their  glory.  He 
then  put  himself  at  their  head,  and  his  men  were 
rather  indignant  than  joyful  at  beholding  Trajan, 
at  the  head  of  400  horse,  make  his  appearance  in 
the  field.  Vespasian  had  likewise  sent  Antonius 
Silas  with  2000  archers  to  occupy  the  side  of  a  hill 
opposite  to  the  city,  in  order  to  divert  those  who 
were  on  the  walls.  Titus  led  the  attack,  the  Jews 
made  some  resistance,  but,  oveipowered  by  the  long 
spears  and  the  weight  of  the  charging  cavalry,  gave 
way,  and  fled  in  disorder  towards  Tarichea.  The 
cavalry  pursued,  m.aking  dreadful  havock,  and  en- 
deavoured to  cut  them  off"  from  the  city.  The 
fugitives  made  their  way  through  by  the  mere  weight 
of  numbers.  When  they  entered  the  city,  a 
tremendous  dissension  arose.  The  inhabitants, 
anxious  to  preserve  their  property,  and  dismayed  by 
their  defeat,  urged  capitulation.  The  strangers 
steadily  and  fiercely  refused  compliance.  The 
noise  of  the  dissension  reached  the  assailants,  and 
Titus  immediately  cried  out,  "  now  is  the  time  for 
a  resolute  attack,  while  they  are  distracted  by  civil 
discord."  He  leaped  upon  his  horse,  dashed  into 
the  lake,  and,  followed  by  his  men,  entered  the  city. 
Consternation  seized  the  besieged,  they  stood  still. 


266  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWij 

not  attempting  resistance.  Jesus  and  his  insurgent* 
at  the  alarm  fled  with  others  towards  the  lake,  and 
came  right  upon  the  Romans.  They  were  killed 
endeavouring  to  reach  the  shore ;  the  inhabitants 
without  resistance ;  the  strangers  fighting  gallantly, 
for  the  former  still  cherished  a  hope  that  their  well- 
known  peaceful  disposition  might  obtain  them 
mercy.  At  length  Titus  having  punished  the  ring- 
leaders, gave  orders  that  the  carnage  should  cease. 
Those  who  had  before  fled  to  the  lake,  when  they 
saw  the  city  taken,  pushed  out  to  sea  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. Titus  sent  information  to  his  father  of  this 
signal  victory,  and  gave  orders  that  vessels  might 
instantly  be  prepared  to  pursue  the  fugitives.  When 
the  vessels  were  ready,  Vespasian  embarked  some 
of  his  troops,  and  rowed  into  the  centre  of  the  lake. 
The  poor  Galileans  in  their  light  fishing  boats  could 
not  withstand  the  heavy  barks  of  the  Romans,  but 
they  rowed  round  them,  and  attacked  them  with 
stones — feeble  warfare,  which  only  irritated  the  pur- 
suers !  for  if  thrown  from  a  distance  they  did  no 
damage,  only  splashing  the  water  over  the  soldiers 
or  falling  harmless  from  their  iron  cuirases  ;  if 
those  who  threw  them  approached  nearer,  they  could 
be  hit  in  their  turn  by  the  Roman  arrows.  All  the 
shores  were  occupied  with  hostile  soldiers,  and  they 
were  pursued  into  every  in'et  and  creek,  some  were 
transfixed  with  spears  from  the  high  banks  of  the 
vessels,  some  were  boarded  and  put  to  the  sword, 
the  boats  of  others  were  crushed  or  swamped,  and 
the  people  drowned.  If  their  heads  rose  as  they 
were  swimming,  they  were  hit  with  an  arrow,  or 
by  the  prow  of  the  hark ;  if  they  clung  to  the  side 
of  the  enemy's  vessel,  their  hands  and  heads  were 
hewn  off.  The  few  survivers  were  driven  to  the 
shore,  where  they  met  with  no  more  mercy.  Either 
before  they  landed,  or  in  the  act  of  landing,  they 
were  cut  down  or  i^erced  through.  The  blue 
waters  of  the  whole   ^ake  were  tingecJ  with  blood» 


CRUELTY  OF  VESPASIAN  261 

and  its  clear  surface  exhaled  for  several  days  a 
fetid  stream  Tho  shores  were  strown  with  wrecks 
of  boats  and  swollen  bodies  that  lay  rotting  in  the 
sun,  and  infected  the  air,  till  the  conquerors  them- 
selves shrunk  from  the  effects  of  their  own  barba- 
rities. Here  we  must  add  to  our  bloody  catalogue 
the  loss  of  6:;00  lives. 

These,  however,  were  the  acts  of  an  exasperated 
soldiery  against  enemies  with  arms  in  their  hands. 
But  Vespasian  tarnished  his  fame  for  ever,  by  an 
act  at  once  of  the  most  loathsome  cruelty  and  deli- 
berate treachery.  After  the  battle,  his  tribunal  was 
erected  in  Tarichea,  and  he  sat  in  solemn  judgment 
on  those  of  the  strangers  who  had  been  taken  cap- 
tives, and  had  been  separated  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city.  According  to  his  apologist,  Josephus, 
his  friends  encircled  the  seat  of  justice,  and  urged 
the  necessity  of  putting  an  end  to  these  desperate 
vagabonds,  who,  having  no  home,  would  only  retreat 
to  other  cities,  forcing  them  to  take  up  arms.  Ves- 
pasian, having  made  up  his  sanguinary  resolution, 
was  unwilling  to  terrify  the  inhabitants  of  Tarichea 
by  commanding  the  massacre  in  their  streets ;  he 
feared  that  it  might  excite  insurrection :  nor  did  he 
wish  the  whole  city  to  be  witness  of  his  open  viola- 
tion of  that  faith  which  had  been  pledged  when  they 
surrendered.  But  his  friends  urged  that  every  act 
was  lawful  against  the  Jews,  and  that  right  must 
give  way  to  the  expediency.  The  insurgents  re- 
ceived an  ambiguous  assurance  of  amnesty,  but 
were  ordered  to  retreat  from  the  city  only  by  the 
road  to  Tiberias.  The  poor  wretches  had  implicit 
reliance  on  Roman  faith.  The  soldiers  immediately 
seized  and  blockaded  the  road  to  Tiberias ;  not  one 
was  allowed  to  leave  the  suburbs.  Vespasian  in 
person  pursued  them  into  the  stadium ;  he  ordered 
1,200  of  the  aged  and  helpless  to  be  instantly  slain, 
and  drafted  off  6,000  of  the  must  able-bodied  to  be 
sent  to  Nero,  who  was  em{)loyed  in  a  mad  schema 


268  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.       [Sept.  8 

of  digging  througli  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth:  30,400 
were  sold  as  slaves,  besides  those  whom  he  be- 
stowed on  Agrippa,  who  sold  his  portion  also.  The 
greater  part  of  these,  if  we  may  believe  Josephus, 
were  desperate  and  ferocious  ruffians,  from  Tracho- 
nitis,  Gaulonitis,  Gadara,  and  Hippos,  men  who 
sought  to  stir  up  war,  that  they  might  escape  the 
punishment  of  the  crimes  they  had  committed  during 
peace  Had  they  been  devils,  it  could  not  excuse 
the  base  treacheiy  of  Vespasian. 

This  terrible  example  appalled  the  whole  of  Gali- 
lee, and  most  of  the  towns  capitulated  at  once  to 
avoid  the  same  barbarities ;  three  cities  alone  still 
defied  the  conqueror,  Gamala,  Gischala,  and  Itaby- 
rium,  the  city  which  Josephus  had  fortified  on  Mount 
Tabor.  Though  the  inhabitants  of  Gamala,  situated 
on  the  side  of  the  lake  of  Genesareth,  opposite  to 
Tarichea,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  shore,  might 
have  inhaled  the  tainted  gales,  which  brought  across 
the  waters  the  noisome  and  pestilential  odours  of 
the  late  massacre,  though  probably  some  single 
fugitive  may  have  escaped,  and  hastening  to  the  only 
city  of  refuge,  have  related  the  dreadful  particulars 
of  those  still  more  revolting  deeds  which  had  been 
perpetrated  in  the  stadium  of  Tarichea;  yet  Gamala, 
proud  in  the  impregnable  strength  of  its  situation, 
peremptorily  refused  submission.  Gamala  was  the 
chief  city  of  Lower  Gaulonitis,  and  belonged  to  the 
government  of  Agrippa.  It  was  even  more  inacces- 
sible than  .Totapata.  It  stood  on  a  long  and  rugged 
ledge  of  mountains,  which  sloped  downward  at  each 
end,  and  rose  in  the  middle  into  a  sudden  ridge,  like 
the  liump  of  a  camel,  from  which  the  town  had  its 
name  of  Gamala.  The  face  and  both  sides  of  the 
rock  ended  in  deep  and  precipitous  chasms  or  ra- 
vines ;  it  was  only  accessible  from  behind,  where  it 
joined  the  mountain  ridge.  On  this  side  a  deep 
ditch  had  been  dug  right  across,  so  as  to  cut  off  all 
approach.     The  houses  rose  on-  above  another  on. 


SIEGF  OF  GAMALA.  269 

the  steep  declivity  o^  the  hill,  and  were  cro\^  ded 
very  thick  and  rlnpe.  Thewliole  city  seemed  as  if 
hanging  on  a  sharp  precipice,  and  threatening  con- 
stantly to  fall  and  crnsh  itself.  It  hiclined  to  the 
south,  but  on  the  southern  crag,  of  immense  heigiit, 
was  the  citadel  of  the  town,  and  above  this  was  a 
precipice  without  a  wall,  which  broke  off  sheer  and 
abrupt,  and  sank  into  a  ravine  of  incalculable  depth. 
There  was  a  copious  fountain  within  the  M"all<. 
This  impregnable  city,  Josephus  had  still  further 
strengthened  by  trenches  and  water-courses.  The 
garrison  was  neither  so  numerous  nor  so  brave  as 
that  of  Joiapata,  but  still  confident  in  the  unassail- 
able position  of  their  city.  It  was  crowded  with 
fugitives  from  all  parts,  and  had  already  for  seven 
months  defied  a  besieging  force,  whif*h  Agrippa  had 
sent  against  it.  Vespasian  marched  to  Emmaus, 
celebrated  for  its  warm  baths,  and  then  appeared 
before  Gamala.  It  was  impossible  to  blockade  the 
whole  circuit  of  a  city  so  situated.  But  he  took 
possession  of  all  the  neighbouring  heights,  particu- 
larly of  the  moimtain  which  commanded  the  town. 
He  then  took  up  a  position  behind  and  to  the  east  of 
the  city,  where  there  was  a  lofty  tower.  There 
the  fifteenth  legion  had  their  quarters,  the  fifth  threw 
up  works  opposite  to  the  centre  of  the  citj",  the  tenth 
was  employed  in  filling  up  the  ditches  and  ravines. 
Agrippa  ventured  to  approach  the  walls  to  persuade 
the  inhabitants  to  capitulation.  He  was  struck  by 
a  stone  from  a  sling,  on  the  right  elbow,  and  carried 
off  with  all  speed  by  his  fohowers.  This  insult  to 
the  native  king  exasperated  the  Roman  soldiery. 
The  embankments  were  raised  with  great  expedi- 
tion by  the  skilful  and  [iractised  soldiers.  Directly 
they  were  ready,  the  engines  were  advanced. 
Chares  and  Joseph  commanded  in  the  city;  they 
had  some  misgivings  of  the  event,  for  they  were  but 
scantily  supplied  with  provisions  and  water,  still, 
however,  they  manned  the  wall  boldly,  and  for  some 


f70  HISTORY  OP  THE  .IKWS 

time  vigorously  resisted  the  engineers,  who  were 
fixing  the  machiiu-s;  Imt,  at  leni<tl!,  heat  off  by  the 
catapults  and  other  engines  for  tlirowing  stones, 
they  drew  back  into  the  city.  The  Romans  ininie- 
diately  advanced  the  battering-rams  in  three  plat:es, 
and  beat  dov/n  the  wall.  They  rushed  in  through 
the  breaches,  and  broke  into  the  city  amid  the  clang 
of  their  trumpets,  the  clashmg  of  their  arms,  and  the 
tfhouting  of  their  men. 

The  Jews  thronged  the  narrow  streets,  and 
bravely  resisted  the  advance  of  the  assailants.  At 
length,  overpowered  by  numbers,  who  attacked 
them  on  all  sides,  they  were  forced  up  to  the  steep 
part  of  the  city.  There  they  turned,  and,  charging 
the  enemy  with  great  fury,  drove  them  down  the 
declivities,  and  made  great  havock  among  them  as 
they  endeavoured  to  make  their  way  up  the  narrow 
streets,  and  along  the  rugged  and  craggy  paths. 
The  Romans,  who  could  not  repel  their  enemy,  thus 
hanging  as  it  were  over  their  heads,  nor  yet  break 
through  the  throngs  of  their  own  men,  who  forced 
them  on  from  beneath,  took  refuge  in  the  houses  of 
the  citizens,  Avhich  were  very  low.  The  crowded 
houses  could  not  bear  the  weight,  and  came  crash- 
ing down.  One,  as  it  fell,  beat  down  another,  and 
so  all  the  way  down  the  hill.  The  situation  of  the 
Romans  was  tremendous.  As  they  felt  the  houses 
sinking,  they  leaped  on  the  roofs,  and  fell  with  the 
tumbling  buildings.  Many  were  totally  buried  in 
the  ruins ;  many  caught  by  some  part  of  their  bodies, 
as  in  a  trap ;  many  were  suffocated  with  the  dust 
and  rubbish.  The  Gamalites  beheld  the  hand  of 
God  in  this  unexpected  calamity  of  the  foe.  They 
rushed  on,  regardless  of  their  own  lives,  struck  at 
the  enemy  on  the  roofs,  or  as  they  were  slipping 
about  in  the  narrow  ways,  and,  aiming  steadily  from 
above,  slew  every  one  who  fell.  The  ruins  fur- 
nished them  with  stones,  and  the  slain  of  the  enemy 
with  weapons      They  drew  the  swords  of  the  dead 


NARROW  ESCAIE  OF  VESPASIAN.  27 1 

to  plunge  into  the  hearts  of  the  dying.     Many  of  the 
Romans  who  had   fallen  from   the   houses  killed 
themselves.     Flight  was  impossible  from  their  ig- 
norance of  the  ways  and  the  blinding  dust :  many 
slew  each  other  by  mistake,  and  fell  among  their 
own  men.     Those  who  could  find  the  road  retreated 
from  the  city.     Vespasian  himself,  who  had  shared 
in  the  labours  of  his  men,  whs  deeply  afflicted  to  see 
the  city  rolling  down  in  ruins  upon  the  heads  of  his 
soldiers.     Neglectful   of  his   own   safety,   he   had 
ascended  by  degrees,  without  perceiving  it,  to  the 
upper  part  of  the  city.    1  le  found  himself  in  the  thick 
of  the  danger,  \\'itli  but  few  followers,  for  Titus  was 
absent  on  a  mission  to  the  Prefect  of  Syria.     It  was 
neither  safe  nor  honourable  to  fly.     With  the  readi- 
ness of  an  old  and  experienced  soldier,  he  called  to 
those  who  wers  with  him  to  lock  their  shields  over 
their  heads  in  the  form  of  a  tesludo.     The  storm 
of  darts   and  of  the   falling   ruins  crashed   about 
them  without  doing  them  any  injury.     Tiiey  per- 
sev(!red.     The    Gamalites,  according  to  .Tosephus, 
who  now  loses  no  opportunity  of  flattering  his  pro- 
tector, thinking  their  presence  of  mhid  little  less 
than  divine,  relaxed  the  fury  of  their  attack.     The 
troop  retreated  with  their  faces  to  the  enemy,  and 
did  not  turn  till  they  wei-e  safe  beyond  the  walls. 
The  loss  of  the  Romans  was  great.     The   brave 
centurion,  yEbutius,  was  particularly  lamented.     A 
decemvir,  named  Gallus,v.'ith  ten  men,  in  the  tumult 
crept   into  a   house  and  concealed   himself  there. 
The  good  citizens,  at  supper,  snt  quietly  conversing 
on  the  exploits  of  the  day;  Gallus,  who  was  a  Sy- 
rian, understood  every  word  they  said.     At  night  he 
broke  out,  cut  all  their  throats,  and  came  safe  off  to 
the  Roman  camp. 

The  soldiers  were  dispirited  with  their  defeat,  and 
with  the  shame  of  having  left  their  general  in  so 

fierilous  a  situation.     Vespasian  addressed  them  in 
anguage  of  approbation   and  encouragement ;  he 


272  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

attributed  their  recent  repulse  to  accident,  and  to 
their  own  too  imprfunus  ardour,  whic^h  had  led  them 
to  fig-ht  Avilh  the  frantic  fury  of  iht  ir  antagonists, 
rather  than  the  steady  and  disciplined  courage  of 
Roman  legionaries.  The  Gamalites,  in  the  mean- 
time, were  full  of  exultation  at  their  unexpected 
success.  But  before  long,  pride  gave  way  to  melan- 
choly foreboding,  for  their  provisions  began  to  fail. 
Their  spirits  sank,  for  now  they  had  no  hope  of 
being  admitted  to  capitulation.  Yet  they  did  not 
entirely  lose  their  courage  and  activity.  They  re- 
paired the  shattered  walls,  and  strictly  guarded  the 
parts  that  were  still  unshaken.  When  at  length  the 
Romans  had  completed  their  works,  and  threatened 
a  second  assault,  many  fled  through  the  sewers,  and 
passages  which  led  into  the  ravines,  where  no  guard 
was  stationed.  The  rest  of  the  inhabitants  wasted 
away  with  hunger  in  silence ;  for  the  scanty  provi 
sion  that  remained  was  kept  for  the  use  of  the  gar- 
rison alone. 

In  the  meantime  Ttabyrium  had  fallen.  This 
town  had  been  strongly  fortified  by  .Tosephus.  The 
ascent  to  the  hill  of  Tabor  is  on  the  north,  but  ex- 
tremely difficult.*  The  level  area  on  the  top,  three 
miles  and  a  quarter  in  circuit,  occupied  by  the  troops, 
was  surrounded  in  forty  days  by  a  strong  wall. 
The  lower  part  of  the  hill  had  copious  fountains, 
but  the  town  depended  on  the  cisterns  of  rain  water. 
Against  this  city  Placidus  was  sent  with  600  horse. 
The  hill  seemed  absolutely  inaccessible.  But  the 
garrison,  endeavouring  to  out-general  the  Roman 
commander,  were  themselves  cauglit  by  their  own 
stratagem.  Each  party  pretended  a  desire  to  come 
to  terms.     Placidus    used  mild  language ;  and  the 

*  Thf  hi  Is'ht  of '|ii<  iiioiinijiin.  arrordinp  In  the  nnnibersas  they  stand 
In  JcsH)  I'll?-,  would  be  tJ/ne  iiiili'S  ana  three  qiiaiters.  Matiiulrell 
B^Cl•lKlKl  ii  hi  an  In  mi.  The  cirrimileieiice  of  the  town  thiet-  iiiili-s  and 
a  qiiarcr.  Ver  !\'ann(holl  states  the  area  on  llie  top  to  he  only  two  fur 
lo.igM  ill  Icneili,  ami  out'  hmad.  Three  miles  and  a  (iiiarter  of  wall  an^ 
trcncli,  biiili  III  forty  days,  seems  rather  beyond  cre«*ibility. 


TAKING  OF  GAMALA.  273 

Itabyrians  rlescended  the  hill  as  if  to  treat,  but  with 
a  secret  design  of  nssailino^  the  Ro'naiis  unawares. 
At  this  unexpected  assault  Placidus  feigned  flight, 
to  hire  them  into  the  plain.     They  pursued  boldly 
when  he  suddenly  wheeled  round,  routed  them  with 
dreadful  slaughter,  and  cut  off  their  retreat  to  the 
mountain.     Those  who  escaped  fled  to  Jerusalem 
The  inhabitants  of  Itabyrium,  distressed  for  wan 
of  water,  surrendered. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  garrison  of  Gamala  still 
made  a  vigorous  resistance,  while  the  people  pined 
away  with  hunger.  At  length,  two  soldiers  of  the 
fifteenth  legion  contrived  by  night  to  creep  under 
one  of  the  highest  towers,  Tvhere  they  began  to  un- 
dermine the  foundations.  By  the  morning  watch 
they  had  got,  unperceived,  quite  under  it.  They 
then  struck  away  five  of  the  largest  stones,  and  ran 
for  their  lives.  The  tower  came  down,  guards  and 
all,  with  a  tremendous  crash.  The  rest  of  the  sen- 
tinels on  the  wall  fled  on  all  sides.  Some  were 
killed  as  they  ran  out  of  the  city,  among  them 
Joseph,  one  of  the  valiant  defenders.  The  whole 
city  was  in  confusion,  men  running  up  and  down, 
with  no  one  to  take  the  command ;  for  the  other 
leader,  Chares,  lay  in  the  last  paroxysm  of  a  fever, 
and,  in  the  agitation  of  the  alarm,  expired. 

But  all  that  day,  the  Romans,  rendered  cautious 
by  their  former  repulse,  made  no  attempt.  Titus 
had  now  returned  to  the  camp,  and  eager  to  revenge 
the  insult  on  the  Roman  arms,  with  two  hundred 
horse  and  a  number  of  foot  entered  quietly  into  the 
city.  As  soon  as  the  Galilean  guards  perceived 
him  they  rushed  to  arms.  Some  catching  up  their 
cluldren,  and  dragging  their  wives  along,  ran  to  the 
citadel,  shrieking  and  crying ;  others,  who  encoun 
tered  Titus,  were  slain  without  mer-.-y.  Those  who 
could  not  make  their  escape  to  the  citadel  rushed 
blindly  on  the  Roman  guard.  The  steep  streets  ran 
with  torrents  of  blood.  Vespasian  led  his  men  imme- 


S74  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS.         (Sept.  23. 

diately  against  the  citadel.  Tlie  rock  on  which  it 
stood  was  rug'g'f'd  ;ind  irTsprnr'ti'-Mhl^',  of  enormous 
height,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  abrupt  preci- 
pices. The  Jews  stood  upon  this  crag,  the  top  of 
which  the  Roman  darts  could  not  reach,  striking 
down  all  their  assailants,  and  rolling  stones  and 
throwing  darts  upon  their  heads.  But  a  tremendous 
tempest  completed  their  ruin.  They  could  not  stand 
on  the  points  of  the  rock,  nor  see  the  enemy  as  he 
scaled  the  crag.  The  Romans  reached  the  top,  and 
surrounded  the  whole  party.  The  memory  of  their 
former  defeat  rankled  in  their  hearts.  Tliey  slew 
as  well  those  who  surrendered  as  those  who  resisted. 
Numbers  threw  themselves  headlong,  with  their 
wives  and  children,  down  the  precipices.  Their 
despair  was  more  fatal  than  the  Roman  sword. 
4000  were  killed  by  the  enemj' ;  5000  bodies  were 
found  of  those  who  had  cast  themselves  from  the 
rock.  Two  women  alone  escaped,  the  sisters  of 
Philip,  Agrippa's  general,  and  they  only  by  conceal- 
ing themselves,  for  the  Romans  spared  neither  age 
nor  sex ;  they  seized  infants  and  flung  them  down 
from  the  rock.  Thus  fell  Gamala  on  the  23d  of 
September. 

Gischala  alone  remained  in  arms.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  town  were  an  agricultural  people,  and  little 
inclined  to  war.  But  the  subtle  and  ambitious  John, 
the  son  of  Levi,  the  rival  of  Josephus,  commanded 
a  strong  faction  in  the  city,  headed  by  his  own  des- 
perate banditti.  The  town,  therefore,  notwithstand- 
ing the  desire  of  the  people  to  capitulate,  assumed 
a  warlike  attitude.  Vespasian  sent  Titus  against 
it  with  1000  horse.  The  tenth  legion  moved  to 
Scythopolis,  he  himself  with  the  other  two  went 
into  winter-quarters  at  Cassarea.  When  he  arrived 
before  Gischala,  Titus  perceived  that  he  might  easily 
take  the  city  by  assault.  But  desirous  of  avoiding 
unnecessary  bloodshed,  and  probably  well  acquaintec 
tvith  the   disposition    (jf    the  people,    he    sent    U' 


SIEGE  OF  GISCHAI.1.  276 

offet  terms  of  capitulation.  The  walls  were  manned 
by  the  faction  of  John ;  not  one  of  the  people  was 
allowed  to  approach  them,  while  the  summons  of 
Titus  was  proclaimed.  John  answered  with  the 
greatest  temper  and  moderation,  that  the  garrison 
accepted  with  the  utmost  readiness  the  generous 
terms  that  had  been  offered ;  but  that  the  day  bemg 
the  Sabbath,  nothing  could  be  concluded  without  a 
direct  infringement  of  the  law.  Titus  not  mere  y 
considered  this  delay,  but  withdrew  his  troops  to 
the  neighbouring  town  of  Cydoessa. 

At  midnight,  John,  perceiving  that  no  Roman 
guard  was  mounted,  stole  quietly  with  all  his  armed 
men  out  of  the  city,  followed  by  many  others,  with 
their  families,  who  had  determined  on  flying  to 
Jerusalem.  To  the  distance  of  twenty  stadia,  about 
two  miles  and  a  half,  the  women  and  children  bore 
on  steadily,  their  strength  then  began  to  fail.  They 
dropped  off  by  degrees,  while  the  men  pressed 
rapidly  on  without  regarding  them.  They  sat  down, 
wailing  by  the  way  side ;  and  the  more  faint  and 
distant  seemed  the  footsteps  of  their  departing 
friends,  the  more  near  and  audible  they  thought  the 
hurried  trampling  of  the  enemy.  Some  ran  against 
each  other,  each  supposing  the  other  the  foe  ;  some 
lost  their  way ;  many  were  trampled  down  by  other 
fugitives.  Those  who  kept  up  longest,  as  they 
began  to  fail,  stood  calling  on  the  names  of  their 
friends  and  relations,  but  in  vain.  The  unfeeling 
John  urged  his  mca  to  save  themselves,  and  make 
tlieir  escape  to  some  place  where  they  might  have 
their  revenge  on  the  Romans.  When  Titus  appeared 
the  next  day  before  the  gates,  the  people  threw  them 
open,  and  with  their  wives  and  children  received 
him  as  Iheir  deliverer.  He  heiit  a  tn)f)p  of  horse  in 
pursuit  of  John.  They  slew  f.OOO  of  the  fugitives, 
and  brought  back  3000  women  and  children  to  the 
city.  Titus  entered  Giscnala  amid  the  acclama- 
tions :^i   the  people;  and  conducted  himself  with 


Sit6  HISTORy  OF  THE  JEWS. 

great  lenily,  only  threatening  the  city  m  case  of 
future  disturbance,  throwing  down  part  of  the  wall, 
and  leaving  a  garrison  to  presei've  the  peace.  Gis- 
^hala  was  the  last  city  in  Galilee  which  offered  any 
resistance ;  and  the  campaign  ended  soon  after 
when  Vespasian,  having  made  an  expedition  against 
Jamnia  and  Azotus,  which  both  surrendered,  and 
admitted  Roman  garrisons,  returned  to  Caesarea, 
followed  by  a  vast  multitude  from  all  quarters,  who 
preferred  instant  submission  to  the  Romans  to  the 
perils  of  war. 

But,  while  the  cities  of  Galilee  thus  arrested  the 
course  of  the  Roman  eagles — while  Jotapata  and 
Gamala  set  the  example  of  daring  and  obstinate 
resistance — the  leaders  of  the  nation  in  Jerusalem, 
instead  of  sending  out  armies  to  the  relief  of  the 
besieged  cities,  or  making  an  effort  in  their  favour, 
were  engaged  in  the  most  dreadful  civil  conflicts, 
and  were  enfeebling  the  national  strength  by  the 
most  furious  collision  of  factions.  It  must  be 
allowed  that  the  raw  and  ill-armed  militia  of  .Tudaea, 
if  it  had  been  animated  with  the  best  and  most  united 
spirit,  could  scarcely  have  hoped  to  make  head  in 
the  open  field  against  the  experience  and  discipline 
of  the  Roman  legions.  Their  want  of  cavalry  per- 
haps prevented  their  undertaking  any  distant  expe- 
dition, so  that  it  may  be  doubted  whether  it  was  not 
their  wisest  policy  to  fight  only  behind  their  walls, 
in  hopes  that  siege  after  siege  might  weary  the 
patience,  and  exhaust  the  strength,  of  the  invading 
army.  But  Jerusalem  was  ill-preparing  itself  to 
assume  the  part  which  became  the  metropolis  of 
the  nation,  in  this  slow  contest ;  and  better  had  it 
been  for  her  if  John  of  Gischala  had  perished  in  the 
trenches  of  his  native  town,  or  been  cut  off  in  his 
flight  by  the  pursuing  cavalry.  His  fame  had  gone 
before  him  to  Jerusalem,  perluips  not  a  little  en- 
hanced by  the  defection  of  his  rival  Josephus.  The 
multitude  poured  out  to  meet  him.  as  well  to  do  him 


JOHN  OF  GISCHALA  IN  JERUSALEM.  27? 

honour  as  to  receive  authentic  tidings  of  the  disas- 
ters in  Galilee.  The  heat  and  the  broken  breathing 
of  his  men,  showed  that  they  had  ridden  fast  and 
long ;  yet  they  assumed  a  lofty  demeanour,  declared 
that  they  had  not  fled,  but  retreated  to  maintain  a 
better  position  for  defence ;  that  for  Gischala  and  such 
insignificant  villages  it  was  not  worth  risking  the 
blood  of  brave  men — they  had  reserved  all  theirs 
to  be  shed  in  the  defence  of  the  capital.  Yet  to 
many  their  retreat  was  too  manifestly  a  flight,  and 
from  the  dreadful  details  of  massacre  and  captivity 
they  foreboded  the  fate  which  awaited  themselves. 
John,  however,  represented  the  Roman  force  as 
greatly  enfeebled,  and  their  engines  worn  out  before 
Jotapata  and  Gamala;  and  urged,  that  if  they  were 
so  long  in  subduing  the  towns  of  Galilee,  they  would 
inevitably  be  repulsed  with  shame  from  Jerusalem. 
John  was  a  man  of  the  most  insinuating  address, 
and  the  most  plausible  and  fluent  eloquence.  The 
young  men  listened  with  eager  interest  and  vehement 
acclamation  ;  the  old  sat  silent,  brooding  over  theii 
future  calamities.  The  metropolis  now  began  to  be 
divided  into  two  hostile  factions ;  but  the  whole 
province  had  before  set  them  the  fatal  example  of 
discord.  Every  city  was  torn  to  pieces  by  civil  ani- 
mosities ;  wherever  the  insurgents  had  time  to 
breathe  from  the  assaults  of  the  Romans,  they 
turned  their  swords  against  each  other.  The  war 
and  the  peace  faction,  not  only  distracted  the  public 
'•ouncils,  but  in  every  family,  among  the  dearest  and 
most  Ultimate  friends,  this  vital  question  created 
stern  and  bloody  divisions.  Every  one  assembled 
a  band  of  adherents,  or  joined  himself  to  some  or- 
gtinized  faction.  As  in  the  metropolis,  the  youth 
were  every  x^here  unanimous  in  their  ardour  for 
war;  the  older  in  vain  endeavoured  to  allay  the 
phrcnsy  by  calmer  and  more  prudent  reasoning. 
First  individuals,  afterward  bands  of  desperate  men, 
began  *o  spread  over  the  whole  country,  spoiling 


278  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

either  by  open  robbery,  or  under  pretence  of  LlsaS- 
tising  those  who  were  traitors  to  the  cause  of  their 
country.  The  unoffending  and  peaceful,  who  saw 
their  houses  burning-,  and  their  families  plundered, 
thought  they  could  have  nothing  worse  to  apprehend 
from  the  conquest  of  the  Romans,  than  from  the 
lawless  violence  of  their  own  countrymen.  The 
Roman  garrisons  in  the  neighbouring  towns,  either 
not  considering  it  their  business  to  interfere,  or  re- 
joicing, in  their  hatred  to  the  whole  race,  to  behold 
their  self-inflicted  calamities,  afforded  little  or  no 
protection  to  the  sufferers.  At  length  an  immense 
number  of  these  daring  ruffians,  satiated  with  plun- 
der, by  degrees,  and  in  secret,  stole  into  Jerusalem, 
where  they  formed  a  great  and  formidable  troop. 
The  city  had  never  been  accustomed  to  exclude 
strangers  from  its  walls — it  was  the  national  metro- 
polis ;  and  all  of  Jewish  blood  had  a  right  to  take 
up  their  temporary  or  permanent  residence  in  the 
Holy  City.  They  thought  too  that  all  who  entered 
their  gates  would  strengthen  their  power  of  resist- 
ance, and  that  it  would  be  impolitic  to  reject  any 
who  came  to  offer  their  lives  for  the  defence  of  the 
capital.  B'ut  even  had  they  not  hrouglit  sedition  and 
discord  in  their  train,  this  influx  of  strangers  would 
rather  have  weakened  than  strengthened  the  defence 
of  Jerusalem ;  for  the  provisions,  which  ought  to 
have  been  reserved  for  the  soldiers,  were  consumed 
by  an  inactive  and  useless  multitude,  and  famine 
was  almost  immediately  added  to  the  other  evils 
which  enfeebled  and  distracted  the  city. 

These  men,  of  fierce  and  reckless  dispositions, 
and  already  inured  to  marauding  habits,  though 
gathering  from  all  quarters,  soon  began  to  understand 
each  other,  and  grew  into  a  daring  and  organized 
faction.  Tiiey  began  to  exercise  their  old  callnig; 
robberies,  and  burglaries,  and  assassinations  took 
place  every  day,  not  secretly  or  by  night,  or  of  the 
meaner  people,  but  openly  in  the  face  of  day,  of  the 


THE  ROBBERS.  27') 

most  distinguished  characters  in  Jerusalem  The 
first  victim  was  Antip;is,  a  man  of  royal  blood,  and 
a  citizen  of  such  high  character,  as  to  bo  intrusted 
with  the  charge  of  the  public  treasury.  They  seized 
and  dragged  him  to  prison.  Tlie  next  were  Levias, 
and  Saphias,  the  son  of  Kaguel,  both  of  the  Herodian 
family,  with  many  others  of  the  same  class.  The 
people  looked  on  in  dismay,  but,  so  long  as  their 
own  houses  and  persons  were  safe,  they  absta'r'ed 
from  interference. 

Having  gone  so  far  in  their  daring  course,  the 
robbers  did  not  tliiiik  it  safe  not  to  proceed  farther. 
They  dreaded  the  families  of  those  whom  they  had 
imprisoned,  for  thc^j^  were  both  numerous  and  power- 
ful ;  they  even  apprehended  a  general  insurrection 
of  the  people.  They  sent  a  ruffian  named  John, 
the  son  of  Donuis,  a  man  ready  for  the  worst 
atrocnties,  with  ten  others  like  him,  and,  under  their 
warrant,  a  general  massacre  of  the  prisoners  took 
place.  The  ostensible  pretext  of  this  barbarity  was, 
the  detection  of  a  conspiracy  to  betray  the  city  to 
the  Romans.  They  gloried  in  this  act,  and  assumed 
the  title  of  Saviours  and  Deliverers  of  their  coun- 
try, for  having  thus  executed  condign  vengeance  on 
those  who  were  traitors  to  the  common  liberty. 

The  people  still  cowered  beneath  the  sway  of 
these  Zealot  robbers.  Their  next  step  was  even 
more  daring.  They  took  upon  themselves  the  ap- 
pointment to  the  Chief  Priesthood — that  is,  proba- 
bly, to  nominate  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin. 
They  annulled  at  once  all  claim  from  family  descent, 
and  appointed  men  unknown,  and  of  ignoble  rank, 
who  would  support  them  in  their  violence.  Those 
whom  they  had  raised  by  their  breath,  their  breath 
could  degrade.  Thus  all  the  leaders  of  the  people 
were  the  slaves  and  puppets  of  their  will.  They 
undermined  the  authority  of  some  who  were  before 
at  the  head  of  affairs,  by  propagating  false  rumours, 
and  by  ascribing  to  them  fictitious  speeches — so  thiii 


•  80  HISTORY    OF   THE   JKWS 

by  their  dissensions  among  each  other,  they  mig'ht 
increase  the  power  of  the  zealots,  thus  united  for 
evil.  At  length,  satiated  wilii  their  crimes  against 
men,  they  hegan  to  invade  the  sanctuary  of  God 
with  their  unhallowed  violence. 

After  some  time,  the  populace  were  at  last  goaded 
to  resistance.  Ananus,  the  oldest  of  the  Chief- 
priests,  had  been  long  the  recognised  head  of  the 
other  party.  He  was  a  man  of  great  wisdom,  and 
in  the  opinion  of  Josephus,  had  he  not  been  cut  off 
by  untimely  death,  might  have  saved  the  city.  At 
his  incitement,  murmurs  and  threats  of  resistance 
spread  among  the  people,  and  the  robber  Zealots 
immediately  took  refuge  in  the  temple  of  God,  which 
they  made  their  garrison  and  head-quarters.  They 
pretended  to  proceed,  according  to  a  mockery  of 
law,  which  was  more  galling  to  the  popular  feeling 
than  their  licentious  violence.  They  declared  that 
the  High  priest  ought  to  be  appointed  by  lot,  not  ac- 
cording to  family  descent.  They  asserted  that  this 
was  an  ancient  usage ;  but,  in  fact,  it  was  a  total 
abrogation  of  the  customary  law,  and  solely  in- 
tended to  wrest  the  supreme  power  into  their  own 
hands.  Matthias,  the  son  of  Theophilus,  was  the 
rightful  High  priest;  but  the  Zealots  assembled,  for 
this  purpose,  one  family  of  the  priestly  race,  that  of 
Eniachim,  and  from  this  choice  a  High  priest  by 
lot.  It  happened  that  the  choice  fell  on  one  Phanias, 
the  son  of  Samuel,  a  man  not  merely  unworthy  of 
that  high  function,  but  a  coarse  clown,  who  had 
lived  in  the  country,  and  was  totally  ignorant  even 
of  the  common  details  of  his  office.  They  sent  for 
him  however,  decked  him  up  in  the  priestly  robes, 
and  brought  him  forth  as  if  upon  the  stage.  His 
awkwardness  caused  them  the  greatest  merriment 
and  laughter ;  while  the  more  religious  priests  stood 
aloof,  weeping  in  bitter  but  vain  indignation  at  this 
profanation  of  the  holy  office. 

The  people  could  endure  every  thing  but  this 


OrviL  WAR  IN  JERUSALEM.  28" 

They  rose  as  one  man,  to  reveng-e  the  injured  dig- 
nity of  the  sarred  ceremonies.  Joseph,  the  son  of 
Gorion,  and  Simon,  the  son  of  Gamaliel,  went  about, 
both  in  private  and  public,  haranguing-  the  multitude, 
and  exhorting-  them  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  these 
desperate  ruffians,  and  to  cleanse  the  holy  place  from 
the  contamination  of  their  presence.  The  most 
eminent  of  the  priestly  order,  Jesus,  son  of  Gamala, 
and  Ananus,  remonstrated  with  the  people  for  their 
quiet  submission  to  the  Zealots,  which  had  now 
become  a  name  of  opprobrium  and  detestation. 

A  general  assembly  was  summoned.  All  were 
mdi^nant  at  the  robberies,  the  murders  and  sacri- 
leges of  the  Zealots,  but  still  they  apprehended  their 
numbers  and  the  strength  of  their  position.  But 
Ananus  came  forward  and  addressed  them  and  as 
he  spoke,  he  continuall}'  turned  his  eyes,  full  of 
tears,  towards  the  violated  temple.  He  reproached 
them  with  their  tame  endurance  of  a  tyranny,  more 
cruel  than  that  of  the  Romans ;  and  their  abandon- 
ment of  the  temple  of  their  Gnd  to  profane  and  law- 
less men.  His  long  and  animated  harangue  was 
heard  with  the  deepest  interest,  and  the  people  de- 
manded, with  loud  outcries,  to  be  immediately  led  to 
battle.  The  Zealots  had  their  partisans  in  the 
assembly,  and  speedily  received  intelligence  of 
what  was  going  on.  While  Ananus  was  organizing 
his  force,  they  began  the  attack.  But  Ananus  was 
not  less  active,  and  though  the  people  were  inferior 
in  discipline,  uiuised  to  act  together  in  bodies,  and 
inexperienced  in  the  management  of  their  arms, 
yet  they  had  vast  superiority  in  numbers.  Thus  a 
fierce  civil  war  broke  out  in  a  city,  against  whose 
gates  a  mighty  enemy  was  preparing  to  lead  his 
forces.  Both  parties  fought  with  furious  valour; 
many  were  slain ;  the  bodies  of  the  people  were 
carried  off  into  their  houses ;  those  of  the  Zealots 
into  the  temple,  dropping  blood,  as  they  were  hurried 
along,  upon  tlie  sacred  pavement.      The  robber* 

IT.— Y 


282  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

had  always  the  best  in  a  regular  conflict,  but  the 
poo]ile  at  length  increasing  in  numbers,  those  that 
pressed  behind  prevented  those  in  front  from  re- 
treating, and  urged  forward  in  a  dense  and  irresisti- 
ble mass,  till  the  Zealots  were  forced  back  hito  the 
temple,  into  which  Ananus  and  his  men  broke  with 
them.  The  first  quadiangle,  that  of  the  Gentiles, 
being  thus  taken,  the  Zealot^s  fled  into  the  next,  and 
closed  the  gates.  The  religious  scruples  of  Ananus 
prevented  him  from  pressing  his  advantage ;  he 
rembled  to  commit  violence  against  the  sacred 
gates,  or  to  introduce  the  people,  unclean  and  not 
yet  purified  from  slaughter,  into  the  niner  Court  of 
the  temple.  He  stationed  COOO  chosen  and  well- 
armed  men  in  the  cloisters,  and  made  arrangements 
that  this  guard  should  be  regularly  relieved. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  the  subtle  and  ambitious 
John  of  Gischala,  who  had  not  long  arrived  in  Jeru- 
salem, pursued  his  own  dark  course.  Outwardly 
he  joined  the  party  of  Ananus ;  no  one  could  be 
more  active  in  the  consultations  of  the  leaders,  or 
in  the  nightly  inspection  of  the  guards.  But  he  kept 
up  a  secret  correspondence  with  the  Zealots,  and 
betrayed  to  them  all  the  movements  of  the  assail- 
ants. To  conceal  this  secret  he  redoubled  his  assi- 
duities, and  became  so  extravagant  in  his  protesta- 
tions of  fidelity  to  Ananus  and  his  party,  that  he 
completely  overacted  his  part,  and  incurred  suspi- 
cion. The  people  could  not  but  observe  that  their 
closest  consultations  were  betrayed  to  the  enemy, 
and  they  began  gradually  to  look  with  a  jealous  eye 
on  their  too  obsequious  servant.  Yet  it  was  no 
easy  task  to  remove  him  ;  he  was  much  too  subtle 
to  be  detected,  and  had  a  formidable  band  of  ad 
herents,  by  no  means  c  f  the  lowest  order,  in  the 
council  itself.  The  people  acted  in  the  most  un- 
wise mannf  r  possible.  They  betrayed  their  suspi 
^ions  of  John,  by  exacting  from  him  an  oath  of 
fidelity-     ^ohn  swore  readily  to  all  they  demanded. 


THE  ZEALOTS  INVITE  THE  IDUMEANS         288 

thai  he  would  remain  obedient  to  the  people,  never 
betray  their  councils,  and  entirely  devote  both  his 
courage  and  abilities  to  the  destruction  of  their 
enemies.  Ananus  and  his  party  laid  aside  theii 
mistrust,  admitted  him  to  their  most  secret  coun- 
cils, and  even  deputed  him  to  treat  with  the  Zea- 
lots. John  undertook  the  mission,  and  proceeded 
into  the  Court  of  the  temple.  There  he  suddenly 
threw  off  his  character,  began  to  address  the 
Zealots  as  if  he  had  been  their  ambassador,  rather 
than  that  of  the  people.  He  represented  the  dan- 
gers he  had  incurred  in  rendering  them  secret  ser- 
vice, informed  them  that  negotiations  were  going 
on  for  the  surrender  of  tlie  city  to  the  Romans,  that 
their  ruin  was  resolved,  for  Ananus  had  determined 
either  to  enter  the  temple  by  fair  means,  under  the 
pretext  of  worship,  and  with  that  view  had  purified 
the  people ;  or  by  main  force  ;  they  must  either  sub- 
mit, or  obtain  succours  from  some  external  quarter; 
and  he  solemnly  warned  them  of  the  danger  of 
trusting  to  the  mercy  of  the  people.  John,  with  his 
characteristic  caution,  only  intimated  the  quarter 
from  which  this  succour  was  to  be  sought.  The 
chieftains  of  the  Zealots  were  Eleazar,  the  son  of 
Simon,  the  old  crafty  antagonist  of  Ananus,  and 
Zacharias,  the  son  of  Phalec.  They  knew  that 
they  were  designated  for  vengeance  by  the  party  of 
Ananus;  their  only  hope  was  in  driving  their  own 
party  to  desperation.  The  mention  of  negotiations, 
according  to  Josephus,  the  malicious  invention  of 
John,  inflamed  the  whole  party  of  the  Zealots  to 
madness.  A  despatch  was  instantly  sent  to  call 
the  Idumeans  to  their  assistance,  by  messengers, 
who  were  noted  for  their  swiftness  of  foot  and 
promptitude  of  action. 

The  Idumeans,  who.,  since  the  conquest  of  Hyr- 
canus,  had  been  incorporated  with  the  Jews  as  a 
people,  were  a  fierce  and  intractable  tribe ;  some  of 
the  old  Arab  blood  seemed  to  flow  in  their  veins ; 


284  HISTORY    OP   THE    JEWS. 

they  loved  aovenlure,  and  throneed  to  war  as  to  a 
festivity.  No  sooner  was  the  welcome  invitation  of 
the  Zealots  made  known  through  the  country,  than 
they  flew  to  arms,  and  even  before  the  appointed 
day,  nad  assembled  an  immense  force,  proclaiming 
as  they  went,  that  they  were  marching  to  the  relief 
of  the  metropolis.  They  were  20,000  in  number, 
under  John  and  James  the  sons  of  Susa,  Simon,  son 
of  Cathla,  and  Phineas,  son  of  Clusoth.  The  mes- 
sengers of  the  Zealots  had  escaped  the  vigilance  of 
Ananus ;  and  the  vast  army  came  suddenly,  though 
not  quite  unexpectedly,  before  the  walls.  The  gates 
were  closed,  and  Ananus  determined  to  attempt 
expostulation  and  remonstrance  with  these  formi- 
dable invaders.  Jesus,  the  next  in  age  of  the 
Chief-priests  to  Ananus,  addressed  them  from  a 
lofty  tower  on  the  wall.  He  endeavoured  to  per- 
suade them  to  follow  one  of  three  lines  of  conduct 
— either  to  unite  with  them  in  the  chastisement  of 
these  notorious  robbers  and  assassins ;  or  to  enter 
the  city,  unarmed,  and  arbitrate  between  the  con- 
flicting parties ;  or,  finally,  to  depart  and  leave  the 
capital  to  settle  its  own  afl^airs.  Simon,  the  son  of 
Cathla,  sternly  answered,  that  they  came  to  take 
the  part  of  the  true  patriots  and  defenders  of  theii 
country,  against  men  who  were  in  a  base  conspiracy 
to  sell  the  liberties  of  the  land  to  the  Romans. 
This  charge  the  party  of  Ananus  had  always  steadily 
disclaimed;  with  what  sincerity  it  is  impossible  to 
decide. 

At  the  words  of  the  son  of  Cathla,  the  Idumeans 
joined  in  the  loudest  acclamations,  and  Jesus  re- 
turned in  sadness  to  his  dispirited  party,  who  now, 
instead  of  being  the  assailants,  found  themselves  as 
It  vvere  besieged  by  two  hostile  armies.  The  Idu- 
means  were  not  altogetlier  at  their  ease.  Though 
enraged  at  their  exclusion  from  the  city,  they  were 
disappointed  at  receiving  no  intelligence  from  the 
Zealots,  who  were  closely  cooped  up  in  the  temple. 


TEMPEST.  285 

and  some  began  to  repent  of  their  hasty  march.  So 
they  encamped,  uncertain  how  to  act,  before  the 
walls.  The  night  came  on,  and  with  the  night  a 
tempest  of  unexampled  violence,  wind  and  pouring 
rain,  frequent  lightnings,  and  long  rolling  thunders. 
The  very  earth  seemed  to  quake.  All  parties,  in 
this  dreadful  state  of  suspense,  sat  trembling  with 
the  deepest  awe,  and  construed  the  discord  of  the 
elements,  either  as  a  sign  of  future  calamity,  or  as  a 
manifestation  of  the  instant  wrath  of  the  Almighty. 
The  Idumeans  saw  the  arm  of  heaven  revealed  to 
punish  them  for  their  assault  on  the  Holy  City ;  and 
thought  that  God  had  openly  espoused  the  cause  of 
Ananus.  Mistaken  interpreters  of  these  ominous 
signs !  which  rather  foreboded  their  own  triumph, 
and  the  discomfiture  of  the  Jewish  people.  Yet 
they  locked  their  shields  over  their  heads,  and  kept 
off  the  torrents  of  rain,  as  well  as  they  could.  But 
the  Zealots,  anxious  about  their  fate,  looked  eagerly 
abroad  to  discover  some  opportunity  of  rendering 
assistance  to  their  new  friends.  The  more  daring 
proposed,  while  the  fury  of  the  storm  had  thrown 
the  enemy  off  their  guard,  to  fight  their  way  through 
the  bands  stationed  in  the  cloisters  of  the  outer 
court,  and  throw  open  the  gates  to  the  Idumeans. 
The  more  prudent  thought  it  in  vain  to  resort  to 
violence,  because  the  sentinels  in  the  cloisters  had 
been  doubled,  and  the  walls  of  the  city  would  be 
strongly  manned  for  fear  of  the  invading  army,  and 
they  expected  Ananus  every  hour  to  go  the  round 
of  the  guards.  That  night  alone,  trusting  perhaps 
to  the  number  and  strength  of  his  doubled  party, 
Ananus  neglected  that  precaution.  The  darkness 
of  the  night  was  increased  by  the  horrors  of  the 
tempest ;  some  of  the  guard  stole  off  to  rest.  The 
watchful  Zealots  perceived  this,  and  taking  the 
sacred  saws,  began  to  cut  asunder  the  bars  of  the 
gates.  In  the  wild  din  of  the  raging  wind  and  peal* 
ing  thunder,  the  noise  of  th»  «»*ws  was  not  heard. 


286  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS 

A  few  stole  out  of  the  gate,  and  along  the  streets  td 
the  wall.  There  applying  their  saws  to  the  gate 
which  fronted  the  Idumean  camp,  they  threw  it 
open.  The  Idumeans  at  first  drew  back  in  terror, 
for  they  suspected  som»i  stratagem  of  Ananus ; 
they  grasped  their  swords,  and  stood  awaiting  the 
enemy  whom  they  expected  every  instant  to  break 
forth.  But  when  they  recognised  their  friends, 
they  entered  boldly,  and  so  n^uch  were  they  exas- 
perated, that  if  they  had  turned  towards  the  city 
they  might  have  massacred  the  whole  people.  But 
their  guides  earnestly  besought  them  first  to  deliver 
their  beleaguered  companions.  Not  only  did  grati- 
tude, but  prudence  likewise,  advise  this  course ;  for 
if  the  armed  guard  in  the  porticoes  were  surprised, 
the  city  would  speedily  fall,  if  it  remained  entire, 
the  citizens  would  rally  round  that  centre,  speedily 
collect  an  insuperable  force,  and  cut  off  their  as- 
cent to  the  temple.  They  marched  rapidly  through 
the  city,  and  mounted  the  hill  of  Moriah.  The 
Zealots  were  on  the  watch  for  their  arrival,  and  as 
they  attacked  the  guard  in  front,  fell  upon  them 
from  behind.  Some  were  slain  in  their  sleep : 
others  awaking  at  the  din,  rushed  together,  and  en- 
deavoured to  make  head  against  the  Zealots,  but 
when  they  found  that  they  were  attacked  likewise 
from  without,  they  perceived  at  once  that  the  Idu- 
means were  within  the  city.  Their  spirits  sank, 
they  threw  down  their  arms,  and  uttered  wild 
shrieks  of  distress.  A  few  bolder  youths  con- 
fronted the  Idumeans  and  covered  the  escape  of 
some  of  the  older  men,  who  ran  shrieking  down  the 
streets,  announcing  the  dreadful  calamity.  They 
were  answered  by  screams  and  cries  from  the 
houses,  and  the  shrill  wailing  of  the  women.  On 
their  side  the  Zealots  and  Idumeans  shouted,  and 
the  wind  nowled  over  all,  and  the  black  and  h'dah- 
ing  sky  pealed  its  awful  thunders.  The  Idumeans 
jipap^d  not  a  soul  of  the  guard  whom  they  sur 


THARACTiCR  OF  aNANUS  287 

prised,  being  naturally  men  of  bloody  character,  and 
exasperated  by  having  been  k  ft  without  the  gates 
exposed  to  the  furious  pelting  of  the  storm ;  those 
who  supplicated  and  those  who  fought,  suffered  the 
same  fate :  it  was  in  vaiu  to  appeal  to  the  sanctity 
of  the  temple,  even  within  its  precincts  they  were 
hewn  down ;  some  were  driven  to  the  very  edge  of 
the  rock  on  which  the  temple  stood,  and  in  their 
desperation  precipitated  themselves  headlong  into 
the  city.  The  whole  Court  was  deluged  with  human 
blood,  and  when  day  dawned  8500  bodies  were 
counted.  But  the  carnage  ended  not  with  the  night. 
The  Idumeans  broke  into  the  city,  and  pillaged  on 
all  sides.  The  High  Priests,  Ananus,  and  Jesus  the 
son  of  Gamala,  were  seized,  put  to  death,  and — an 
unprecedented  barbarity  among  a  people  so  super- 
stitious about  the  rites  of  sepulture,  that  even  pub- 
lic malefactors  were  buried  before  sunset — the 
bodies  of  these  aged  and  respected  men,  who  had 
so  lately  appeared  in  the  splendid  sacred  vestments 
of  the  priests,  were  cast  forth  naked  to  the  dogs 
and  carrion  birds. 

With  the  death  of  Ananus  all  hopes  of  peace 
were  extinguished,  and  from  that  night  Josephus 
dates  the  ruin  of  .lerusalem.  The  historian  gives 
him  a  high  character ;  he  was  a  man  of  rigid  justice, 
who  ahvays  preferred  the  public  good  to  his  own 
interest,  and  a  strenuous  lover  of  liberty,  of  popu- 
lar address,  and  of  great  influence  over  all  the  lower 
orders.  Though  vigilant  and  active  in  placing  the 
city  in  the  best  posture  of  defence,  yet  he  alwa3'^s 
looked  forward,  in  eager  hope,  to  a  peaceable  termi- 
nation of  the  contest.  In  this  respect  perhaps  he 
followed  the  wisest  policy,  considering  the  state  of 
his  country,  and  the  strength  of  the  enemy ;  yet  we 
cannot  wonder,  that  a  man  with  such  views,  at  such 
a  crisis,  should  be  vehemently  suspected  of  traitor- 
ous intentions  by  the  more  rash  and  zealous  of  his 
countrymen,  who  preferred  death  and  ruin  rather 


^88  HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWS. 

than  submission  to  the  tyrannous  yoke  of  Rome. 
Jesus,  the  son  of  Gamala,  was  likewise  a  man  of 
weight  and  character. 

The  vengeance  of  the  Zealots  and  their  new  aliiet 
was  not  glutted  by  the  blood  of  their  principal  ene- 
mies. They  continued  to  massacre  the  people,  in 
the  words  of  Josephus,  like  a  herd  of  unclean 
animals.  The  lower  orders  they  cut  down  wherever 
they  met  them,  those  of  higher  rank,  particularly 
the  youth,  were  dragged  to  prison,  that  they  might 
force  them,  by  the  fear  of  death,  to  embrace  their 
party.  No  one  complied ;  all  preferred  death  to  an 
alliance  with  such  wicked  conspirators.  They 
were  scourged,  and  tortured,  but  still  resolutely 
endured,  and  at  length  were  relieved  from  their  trials 
by  the  more  merciful  sword  of  the  murderer.  Thej" 
were  seized  by  day,  and  all  the  night  these  horrors 
went  on ;  at  length  their  bodies  were  cast  out  into 
the  streets,  to  make  room  for  more  victims  in  the 
crowded  prisons.  Such  was  the  terror  of  the  peo- 
ple, that  they  neither  dared  to  lament,  nor  bury  their 
miserable  kindred ;  but  retired  into  the  farthest  part 
of  their  houses  to  weep,  for  fear  the  enemy  should 
detect  their  sorrow ;  for  to  deplore  the  dead,  was  to 
deserve  death;  by  night  they  scraped  up  a  little 
dust  with  their  hands,  and  strowed  it  over  the 
bodies ;  none  but  the  most  courageous  woidd 
venture  to  do  this  by  day.  Thus  perished  12,000  of 
the  noblest  blood  in  Jerusalem. 

Ashamed  at  length,  or  weary  of  this  promiscuous 
massacre,  the  Zealots  began  to  affect  the  forms  of 
law,  and  set  up  tribunals  of  justice.  There  was  a 
distinguished  man,  named  Zacharias,  the  son  of 
Baruch,  whose  influence  they  dreaded,  and  whose 
wealth  they  yearned  to  pillage,  for  he  was  both 
upright,  patriotic,  and  rich.  They  assembled,  by 
proclamation,  seventy  of  the  principal  men  of  the 
populace,  and  formed  a  Sanhedrin.  Before  that 
court   they  charged  Zacharias  with   intelligence 


DKPAKTTJRE  OF  THE  IDUMEANS.  J89 

With  the  Romans.      They  had  neither  proof  nor 
witness,  but  insisted  on  their  own  conviction  of  his 
giiilt.     Zacharias,  despairing  of  his  life,  conducted 
himself  with  unexampled  boldness ;  he  stood  up, 
ridiculed  their  charges,  and  in  a  few  words  clearly 
established  his  own  innocence.      He  then  turned 
to  the  accusers,  inveighed  with  the  most  solemn 
fervour  against  their  iniquities,  and  lamented  the 
wretched  state  of  public  affairs.     The  Zealots  mur- 
mured, and  some  were  ready  to  use  their  swords 
but  they  were  desirous  of  seeing  whether  the  judges 
were  sufficiently  subservient  to  their  will.      The 
seventy  unanimously  acquitted  the  prisoner,  and 
preferred  to  die  with  Zacharias  rather  than  be  guilty 
of  his  condemnation.     The  furious  Zealots  raised  a 
cry  of  indigiiation ;  two  of  them  rushed  forward, 
and  struck  him  dead,  where  he  stood,  in  the  temple 
court,  shouting  aloud,  "  This  is  our  verdict — This 
IS  our  more  summary  acquittal."     Then  dragging 
the  body  along  the  pavement,  they  threw  it  into  the 
valley  below.     The  judges  they  beat  with  the  flat 
Dlades  of  their  swords,  and  drove  them,  in  disgrace, 
back  into  the  city.     At  length,  the  Idumeans  began 
to  repent  of  this  bloody  work ;  they  openly  declared 
that  they  had  advanced  to  Jerusalem  to  suppress 
the  treason  of  the  leaders,  and  to  defend  the  city 
against  the  Romans ;  that  they  had  been  deceived 
into  becoming  accomplices  in  horrible  murders ;  no 
treason  was  really  apprehended,  and  the  Roman 
army  still  suspended  their  attack.   They  determined 
to  depart ;  first,  however,  they  opened  the  prisons, 
and  released  2000  of  the  people,  who  instantly  fled 
to  Simon  the  son  of  Gioras,  of  whom  we  shall  here- 
after hear  too  much.     Their  departure  was  unex- 
pected by  both  parties.      The  populace,  relieved 
from  their  presence,  began  to  gain  confidence ;  but 
the  Zealots,  as  if  released  from  control,  rather  than 
deprived  of  assistance,  continued  their  lawless  ini- 
quities.   Every  day  new  victims  fell  by  rapid  and 


190  HISTOHY  OF  THE  JEWS 

summaty  proceedings  ;  it  seemed  as  if  they  thought 
their  safety  depended  on  the  total  extermination  of 
the  higher  orders.  Among  the  rest  perished  Gorion, 
a  man  of  the  highest  birth  and  rank,  and  the  greatest 
zeal  for  liberty — incautious  language  caused  his 
ruin.  Even  Niger  of  Peraea,  their  most  distin- 
guished soldier,  who  had  escaped  from  the  rout  at 
Ascalon,  was  dragged  along  the  streets,  showing  in 
vain  the  scars  which  he  had  received  for  his  un- 
grateful country.  He  died  with  fearful  impreca- 
tions, summoning  the  Romans  to  avenge  his  death, 
and  denouncing  famine  and  pestilence,  and  civil 
massacre,  as  well  as  war,  against  this  accursed  city 
— Niger  was  the  last  whose  power  they  dreaded 
After  that  they  carried  on  their  sanguinary  work 
without  scruple :  none  could  escape.  He  who  paid 
them  no  court,  was  stigmatized  as  haughty ;  he  who 
spoke  boldly,  as  one  who  despised  them ;  he  who 
merely  flattered  them,  as  a  traitor ;  they  had  but  one 
punishment  for  great  or  small  offences — death ; 
none  but  the  very  meanest  in  rank  and  fortune 
escaped  their  hands.* 

In  this  state  of  the  city,  many  of  the  Roman 
leaders  strongly  urged  Vespasian  to  march  imme- 
diately on  Jerusalem,  and  put  an  end  to  the  rebel- 
lion. The  more  politic  general  replied,  that  nothing 
would  extinguish  these  feuds,  which  were  wasting 
the  strength  of  the  rebels,  or  unite  their  forces,  but 
an  attack  from  the  Romans ;  he  determined  to  allow 
them,  like  wild  beasts,  to  tear  each  other  to  pieces 
in  their  dens.  Every  day  deserters  came  in ;  not 
but  that  the  roads  were  closely  guarded,  yet  those 
who  had  the  power  to  bribe  largely,  and  those  alone, 
were  sure  to  find  their  way ;  yet  some,  such  was 
the  attachment  to  the  very  soil  of  Jerusalem,  after 
they  had  got  off,  returned  of  their  own  accord,  ;i»nly 


•  Tims  writes  Josephus — perhaps  rather  with  the  vehemence  of  ( 
orator,  than  witli  iVie  cautious  accuracy  of  an  historian. 


DIVISION  AMONG  THK  ZUALOTS.  291 

m  hopes  that  they  might  find  burial  in  the  Holy 
City.  Hopes  too  often  baffled;  for,  so  liardened 
were  all  hearts  become,  that  even  the  reverence  for 
that  sacred  rite  was  extinct.  Both  within  the  city, 
and  in  the  villages,  lay  heaps  of  bodies  rotting  in 
the  sun.  To  bury  a  relative,  was  death;  thus  com- 
passion itself  was  proscribed  and  eradicated  from 
the  heart.  Such  was  the  state  of  the  people,  that 
the  survivors  envied  the  dead  as  released  from  suf- 
fering ;  those  who  were  tormented  in  prisons  even 
thought  them  happy  whose  bodies  were  lying  un- 
buried  in  the  streets.  Religion  seemed  utterly 
abolished :  the  law  was  scorned,  the  oracles  of  the 
propliets  were  treated  with  ridicule,  as  the  tricks  of 
impostors.  "Yet  by  these  men,"  says  Josephus, 
"  the  ancient  prediction  seemed  rapidly  drawing  to 
its  fulfilment ;  that  when  civil  war  should  break  out 
in  the  city,  and  the  temple  be  profaned  by  the  hands 
of  native  Jews,  the  city  would  be  taken,  and  the 
temple  burned  witli  fire." 

During  all  this  horror  and  confusion,  John  of 
Gischala  steadily  pursued  his  path  of  ambition: 
from  the  most  desperate  of  these  desperate  men, 
he  attached  a  considerable  party  to  his  own  person: 
and,  though  suspected  by  all  as  aiming  at  kingly 
power,  and  watched  with  jealous  vigilance,  yet  such 
was  his  craft  and  promptitude,  that  he  imperceptibly 
centred  all  real  authority  and  influence  in  his  single 
person.  In  the  public  councils,  he  contradicted 
every  one,  and  delivered  his  own  sentiments  with  a 
sort  of  irresistible  imperiousness.  Some  were 
cajoled  by  his  subtlety,  others  awed  by  his  decision, 
till  at  length  his  adherents  almost  threw  off  the 
mask,  and  formed,  as  it  were,  a  body-guard  around 
their  leader.  Thus  the  Zealots  were  divided;  in 
one  part  John  ruled  like  a  king;  in  the  other  a  kind 
of  democratical  equality  prevailed.  Yet  the  factions 
only  watched  each  other,  and  contending  but  in  oc 
casional  skirmishes,  combined  re?  dily  for  the  per- 


292  HISTORiT    OF    THE    JEWS. 

seciition  of  the  people,  and  vied  with  each  other  m 
the  quantity  of  plunder  they  could  extort. 

Thus  the  miserable  city  was  afflicted  by  the  three 
great  evils,  war,  tyranny,  and  sedition ;  a  fourth 
was  soon  added  to  complete  their  ruin.  The  Sicarii 
or  Assassins,  it  may  be  remembered,  had  seized  the 
strong  fortress  of  Masada,  near  the  Dead  Sea.  They 
had  hitherto  been  content  to  subsist  on  the  adjacent 
country.  Encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  daring 
robbers  who  had  thus  become  masters  of  Jerusalem, 
they  surprised  Engaddi  during  the  night  of  the 
Passover,  dispersed  all  who  resisted,  and  slew  about 
700,  chiefly  women  and  children.  They  brought 
away  great  quantities  of  corn,  and  followed  up  the 
blow  by  wasting  the  whole  region.  Other  bands 
collected  in  other  parts,  and  the  province  became  a 
scene  of  plunder  and  confusion. 

It  was  now  the  spring — the  commencement  of  a 
new  campaign.  The  refugees  in  the  camp  of  Ves- 
pasian earnestly  besought  him  to  march  at  once 
upon  the  capital,  but  the  wary  Roman  chose  rather 
to  reduce  the  rest  of  the  country.  The  first  place 
against  which  he  moved  was  Gadara,  the  chief  city 
of  Peraea.  The  more  wealthy  inhabitants  sent  a 
deputation  to  Vespasian.  The  opposite  party,  sur 
prised  by  the  rapid  advance  of  the  Romans,  after 
revenging  themselves  on  some  of  those  who  had 
treated  for  surrender,  withdrew,  and  Gadara  re 
ceived  the  conqueror  with  open  gates,  and  with  joy- 
ful acclamations.  Vespasian  granted  the  inhabitants 
a  garrison  for  their  protection,  for  they  had  destroyed 
their  walls  of  their  own  accord. 

Vespasian  having  despatched  Placidus  with  500 
horse  and  3000  foot,  to  pursue  the  fugitives  from 
Gadara,  returned  to  Caesarea.  They  had  taken 
possession  of  a  large  village  named  Bethanabris, 
which  they  armed  in  their  defence.  Placidus  at- 
tacked  them,  and  employing  his  usual  stratagem, 
a  feigned  retreat,  to  allure  them  from  their  walla 


espasian's  victories.  293 

then  faced  round,  and  cut  off  the  greater  part. 
Some  forced  their  way  back,  and  Placidus  had  well 
nigh  entered  the  village  with  them.  Before  night 
it  was  taken  and  laid  waste  with  the  usual  caniage. 
Those  who  escaped,  raised  the  country  as  they 
passed,  and,  grown  again  to  a  considerable  body,  fled 
towards  Jericho,  the  populous  and  strongly  fortified 
city,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Placidus  pur- 
sued them  to  the  Jordan,  the  nver  was  swollen  and 
impassable.  They  were  obliged  to  turn  and  fight. 
It  must  have  been  near  the  place  where  the  waters, 
of  old,  receded  at  the  word  of  Joshua,  but  now  the 
deep  and  rapid  flood  rolled  down  in  unchecked  im- 
petuosity. The  Romans  charged  with  their  accus- 
tomed vigour.  Multitudes  fell,  multitudes  were 
driven  into  the  stream,  others  plunged  in  of  their 
own  accord.  Not  only  the  river,  but  the  Dead  Sea 
also,  was  almost  choked  with  bodies,  which  lay 
floating  upon  its  dark  and  heavy  waters.  15,000 
were  killed,  2500  taken  prisoners,  with  an  immense 
booty  from  all  that  pastoral  region,  asses,  sheep, 
camels,  and  oxen.  Placidus  followed  up  his  victory, 
reduced  the  whole  country  of  Peraea,  and  the  coast 
of  the  Dead  Sea  as  far  as  Machaerus. 

In  the  mean  time  the  state  of  the  Roman  empire 
began  to  call  the  attention  of  Vespasian.  Vindex 
had  revolted  in  Gaul,  and  Vespasian  was  anxious 
to  put  an  end  to  the  war  in  Palestine,  in  order  that 
his  army  might  be  at  liberty  for  any  further  service. 
He  advanced  from  Caesarea,  took  successively  Anti- 
patris,  Lydda,  and  Jamnia,  and  blockaded  Emmaus, 
which  made  resistance.  He  then  moved  southward 
through  the  Toparchy  of  Bethleptepha,  to  the  fron- 
tier of  Idumaea,  wasting  as  he  went  with  fire  and 
sword,  and  leaving  garrisons  in  all  the  defensible 
castles.  In  Idumaea  he  took  two  large  villages, 
Betharis  and  Cephartoba,  put  to  the  sword  above 
10,000  men,  and  brought  away  1000  captives 
Leaving  there  a  strong  force  to  waste  the  countif 


*194  HISTOTJY  OF  TKE  JEWS. 

he  leturned  to  Emmaus,  passed  by  Samaria  and 
Neapolis,  encamped  in  Corea,  and  at  length  appeared 
before  Jericho,  where  the  troops  which  had  subdued 
Penea,  met  him.  The  insurgents  of  Jericho  fled  to 
the  w.lderness  of  Judaja,  which  lay  to  the  south 
along-  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  city  was 
deserted,  and  the  Roman  soldiery  reposed  among 
the  delicious  gardens  and  palm  g-roves  m  the  neigh- 
bourhood, before  they  encountered  the  dreary  and 
mountainous  wilderness  which  lay  between  them 
and  Jerusalem. 

Vespasian  sent  to  reduce  all  the  neighbouring 
country.  Lucius  Annius  was  detached  against 
Gerasa,  where  1000  of  the  youth  were  put  to  the 
SM^ord,  the  rest  made  captives,  and  the  city  pillaged 
by  the  soldiery.  And  now  Jerusalem  already  be- 
held the  enemy  at  her  gates,  every  approach  to  the 
city  was  cut  off,  and  every  hour  they  expected  to 
see  the  plain  to  the  north  glitter  with  the  arms  and 
eagles  of  the  fated  enemy.  When  suddenly  intel- 
ligence came  from  Rome  which  checked  the  march 
of  Vespasian,  and  Jerusalem  had  yet  a  long  period 
either  to  repent  and  submit,  or  to  prepare  for  a  more 
orderly  and  vigorous  resistance.  The  first  event 
was  the  death  of  Nero,  and  during  the  whole  of  the 
year  68-9,  in  which  Galba,  Otho,  and  Vitellius,  suc- 
cessively attained  and  lost  the  imperial  crown,  Ves- 
pasian held  his  troops  together,  without  weakening, 
by  unnecessary  exertions  against  the  enemy,  that 
force  by  which  he  might  eventually  win  his  way  to 
the  sovereignty  of  the  world. 

But  Jerusalem  would  not  profit  by  the  mercy  of 
the  Almighty  in  thus  suspending  for  nearly  two 
years  the  march  of  the  avenger:  an  enemy  more 
fatal  than  the  Roman,  immediately  rose  up  to  com- 
plete the  sum  of  her  misery,  and  to  add  a  third  party 
to  those  wluch  already  distracted  her  peace.  Simon, 
son  of  Gioras,  a  native  of  Gerasa,  was  a  man  as 
^r"e  and  crui-,  though  not  equal  in  subtlety  to 


SIMON,  SON  OF  GI0RA3.  296 

John  of  Gischala.  He  had  greatly  distinguished 
himself  in  the  rout  of  Cestius.  Since  that  time,  it 
has  been  seen  that  he  pillaged  Acrabatene,  and  being 
expelled  from  that  region  by  Anaims,  entered  Ma- 
sada,  where  by  degrees  he  became  master  of  the 
town.  His  forces  increased ;  he  had  wasted  all  the 
country  towards  Iduraaea,  and  at  length  began  to  en- 
tertain designs  against  Jerusalem.  The  Zealots 
marched  out  in  considerable  force  against  him,  but 
were  discomfited  and  driven  back  to  the  city. 
Simon,  instead  of  attacking  Jerusalem,  turned  back 
and  entered  Idum<ea  at  the  head  of  20,000  men. 
The  Idumeans  suddenly  raised  25,000,  and  after  a 
long  and  doubtful  battle  Simon  retreated  to  a  village 
called  Nain,  the  Idumeans  to  their  own  country 
Simon  a  second  time  raised  a  great  force  and  en- 
tered their  border.  He  encamped  before  Tekoa, 
and  sent  one  of  his  adherents  named  Eleazar  to 
persuade  the  garrison  of  Herodium,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance, to  surrender.  The  indignant  garrison  drew 
their  swords  upon  him ;  he  leaped  from  the  wall  and 
was  killed.  On  the  other  hand  the  Idumeans,  be- 
trayed by  one  of  their  leaders,  were  struck  with  a 
panic  and  dispersed.  Simon  entered  the  country, 
took  Hebron,  and  wasted  the  whole  region.  His 
army  consisted  of  40,000  men,  besides  his  heavy- 
armed  troops.  The^'^  passed  over  the  whole  district 
like  a  swarm  of  locusts,  burning,  destroying,  and 
leaving  no  sign  of  life  or  vegetation  behind  them. 

The  Zealots  in  the  mean  time  surprised  the  wife 
of  Simon,  and  carried  her  off  in  triumph  to  Jeru- 
salem. They  hoped  that  by  this  means  they  should 
force  Simon  to  terms.  Srnion  came  ragmg  like  a 
wild  beast  before  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  The  old 
and  unarmed  people  who  ventured  out  of  the  gates 
were  seized  and  tortured.  He  is  said  scarcely  to 
have  refrained  from  mangling  their  bodies  with  his 
teeth.  Some  he  sent  back  with  both  hands  cut  oflf, 
vowing  that  unless  his  wife  were  returned,  he  would 


296  HISTORY   OF   THE   JEWS 

force  the  city  and  treat  every  man  within  the  wallg 
in  the  same  manner.  The  people  and  even  the 
Zealots  themselves  took  the  alarm,  they  restored 
his  wife  and  he  withdrew.  It  was  now  the  spring 
of  the  second  year  69,  and  Vespasian  once  more 
set  his  troops  in  motion.  He  reduced  the  Toparchies 
of  Gophnitis  and  Acrabatene.  His  cavalry  appeared 
at  the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  Cerealis  in  the  mean 
time  had  entered  Idumaea,  and  taken  Caphethra, 
Capharabis,  and  Hebron,  nothing  remained  to  con- 
quer but  Herodium,  Masada,  Machaerus,  and  Jeru- 
salem itself. 

Still  no  attempt  was  made  on  Jerusalem,  it  was 
left  to  its  domestic  enemies.  Simon  had  remained 
in  Masada,  while  Cerealis  wasted  Idumaea.  He 
then  broke  forth  again,  entered  Idumaea,  drove  a 
vast  number  of  that  people  to  Jerusalem,  and  again 
encamped  before  the  walls,  putting  to  the  sword  all 
the  unfortunate  stragglers  who  quitted  the  protection 
of  the  city 

Simon  thus  warred  on  the  unhappy  city  from 
without,  and  John  of  Gischala  within.  The  pillage 
and  license  of  the  opulent  capital  had  totally  cor- 
rupted his  hardy  Galileans,  who  had  been  allowed 
to  commit  every  excess.  Pillage  was  their  occupa- 
tion, murder  and  rape  their  pastime.  They  had  be- 
come luxurious  and  effeminate;  they  had  all  the 
cruelty  of  men  with  the  wantonness  of  the  most 
abandoned  women.  Glutted  with  plunder  and  blood, 
and  the  violation  of  women,  they  decked  their  hair, 
put  on  female  apparel,  painted  their  eyes,  and  in  this 
emasculate  garb  wandered  about  the  city,  indulging 
in  the  most  horrible  impurities,  yet,  on  an  instant, 
reassuming  their  character  of  dauntless  ruffians, 
drawing  their  swords,  which  were  concealed  under 
their  splendid  clothes,  and  fighting  fiercely  or  stab- 
bing all  they  met  without  mercy.  Thus  was  the 
city  besieged  within  and  without,  those  who  stayed 


SMtON  INVITKD  INTO  JERUSALEM.  297 

were  tyrannized  over  by  John,  those  who  fled,  ma* 
sacred  by  Simon. 

At  length  the  party  of  John  divided.  '1  he  Idu- 
means,  who  were  still  in  considerable  numbers  in 
Jerusalen^,  grew  jealous  of  his  power;  they  rose 
and  drove  the  Zealots  into  a  palace  built  by  Grapte, 
a  relation  of  King  Izates.  This  they  entered  with 
them,  and  thence  forced  them  into  the  temple. 
This  palace  was  the  great  treasure  house  of  Johr  s 
plunder,  and  was  now  in  turn  pillaged  by  the  Idu- 
means.  But  the  Zealots  assembled  in  overwhelm- 
ing force  in  the  temple,  and  threatened  to  pour  down 
upon  the  Idumeans  and  the  people.  The  Idumeans 
did  not  dread  their  bravery  so  much  as  their  despe- 
ration, lest  they  should  sally,  and  set  the  whole  city 
on  fire  over  their  heads.  They  called  an  assembly 
of  the  chief  priests,  and  that  counsel  was  adopted 
which  added  the  final  consummation  to  the  miseries 
of  the  city.  "  God,"  says  Josephus,  "  overruled 
their  wills  to  that  most  fatal  measure."  They  agreed 
to  admit  Simon  within  the  gates.  The  High-priest, 
Matthia"?,  a  weak,  but  from  his  rank,  an  influential 
man,  supported  this  new  proposition ;  he  was  sent 
in  person  to  invite  him  within  the  walls,  and  amid 
the  joyful  greetings  of  the  misguided  populace,  the 
son  of  Gioras  marched  through  the  streets,  and  took 
possession  of  all  the  upper  city. 

Simon  immediately  proceeded  to  attack  the  Zealots 
in  the  temple,  but  the  commanding  situation  of  the 
Duilding  enabled  them  to  defend  themselves  with 
success.  They  fought  with  missiles  from  the  por- 
ticoes and  pinnacles,  and  many  of  Simon's  men 
fell.  To  obtain  still  further  advantage  from  the 
height  of  their  ground,  they  reared  four  strong 
owers,  one  on  the  north-east  corner,  one  above  the 
Xystus,  one  at  another  corner  opposite  the  lower 
city,  and  one  above  the  Pastophoria,  where  the 
priests  were  accustomed  to  sound  the  silver  trumpet 
to  announce  the  commencement  and  termination  of 


298  HISTORY  OF  THE  JE',rs. 

the  sabbath.  On  these  towers  thyy  placed  theit 
military  engines,  their  bowmen  and  slingers,  which 
swept  the  enemy  down  at  a  great  distance ;  till  at 
length  Simon  in  some  degree  relaxed  his  assaults. 

Vespasian  had  now  assumed  the  purple ;  the  East 
declared  in  his  favour ;  Josephus  received  the 
honour  and  reward  of  a  prophet,  and  was  delivered 
from  his  bonds.  After  the  defeat  and  death  of  Vi- 
tellius,  the  new  Caesar  was  acknowledged  at  Rome, 
and  the  whole  empire  hailed  in  joyful  triumph  the 
accession  of  the  Flavian  dynasty.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  ensuing  year,  the  emperor  had 
time  to  think  of  the  reduction  of  the  rebellious  city, 
which  had  long  resisted  his  own  arms.  His  sou 
Titus  was  sent  to  complete  the  subjugation  of 
Palestine  by  the  conquest  of  the  capital. 


KND  or   TOL.  II. 


AA    000  463  861 


